Photo and video credit: Wendy Hu
Earlier this week, MarieClaire.com featured my interview with guitar goddess Orianthi. Feel free to check out the post here.
Watch my video interview with Orianthi below to learn more about her passion for guitar, what it was like to perform with Santana and her experience working with Michael Jackson. For the complete transcription, click here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVupYVVT3g]
Photo Credit: Wendy Hu
Quite possibly my favorite thing about being a music journalist is discovering new bands before they make it big. Whether my coverage precedes a write-up in Rolling Stone or a song being placed in hit TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, in a way it helps confirm that my music taste is ahead of the curve. Or, so I’d like to think!
I’m excited tonight to be catching three sets at Joe’s Pub, two of which are bands I’ve already covered and interviewed. Feel free to follow along on Twitter as I’ll be reviewing the show live. And, if you haven’t yet, check out my interview with Greg Holden here and PT Walkley here. For more on each artist, you can find their MySpace below.
PT Walkley on MySpace.
Greg Holden on MySpace.
Ian Axel on MySpace.
Today is the last day of February, which means it’s also the final day to nominate me for SoundCtrl and Pepsico’s contest to win travel and lodgings to SXSW! I know a few days ago I was close to the 50 minimum votes, but I’m sure the more I have the better chance I have to winning and covering SXSW for you!
I thought I’d share part of the interview I had with SoundCtrl just so you know more about me and how my passion for music journalism began.
Why and how did you get involved in the music industry?
I decided to become a music journalist after covering a Gavin DeGraw concert my sophomore year of college. I still remember it perfectly. I was standing in the front row, notebook and pen in one hand, digital camera in the other and I just remember thinking, “If I could do this the rest of my life I would!” Gavin was my first impromptu band interview, I just walked up to him after the show and asked him a few questions for the school paper.
My remaining time at Rutgers was spent writing for the entertainment section, interning at JANE Magazine, MTV News and eventually Rolling Stone. I’d cover and interview every band that came to Rutgers and pitched them to my internships. While I was a journalism major and always knew I wanted to write, it wasn’t until his concert that it hit me that I could actually do this for a living. Since graduating, I started up my blog, managed a band and act as a publicist for artists I truly believe in. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Glad to report that this excitement for covering shows and interviewing bands has never faded. I still can’t believe all the festivals I’ve attended and bands I’ve met the past two years! I just relived everything in photos yesterday when Wendy uploaded her flickr page. Feel free to check out photos of All Points West, CMA Festival, Graceland, touring with Army of Me and The Used and some of my interviews
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendy_hu/collections/72157623516194336/” target=”_blank”>here.
If you haven’t voted for me yet, you still have a few hours left! To nominate me, click here.
Be sure to list the nominee name as Annie Reuter
Web site http://yousingiwrite.com
Email atreuter@gmail.com.
Make sure you click on the confirmation email after your vote so it registers. Thanks for all your support over the past two years, it means the world!
Well, I’m pretty certain you all are aware of my love for John Mayer by now. Despite his controversial interviews in Playboy and Rolling Stone over the past few months, you cannot deny his guitar skills and prowess as a songwriter.
I’m psyched to be attending his concert tonight at Madison Square Garden. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for up to the minute coverage. I’ll try not to gush too much. Keep your fingers crossed for a video interview in the future!
Watch below for clip one of Mayer on VH1 “Storytellers” as he talks of being misunderstood and performs “No Such Thing.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ0tZBC8vuk]
Related Links:
• John Mayer Debuts Tracks Off New Album at Secret Brooklyn Show
• John Mayer Tells All At Z100’s Z-Lounge
• John Mayer, Colbie Caillat and Brett Dennen Impress in New Jersey
• Blast From the Past: John Mayer Concert Review on MTV.com
I’m happy to report an interview with me was just featured on SoundCtrl’s blog! Being a contender for their FlashFwd partnership with Pepsico to win a free trip to SXSW, I just found out I’m almost up to 50 votes!
To learn about me, the blog and how I describe myself in 140 characters (believe me, a lot tougher question than you’d think), you can read the complete interview on SoundCtrl here. And, if you’d still like to nominate me to win a trip to Texas to cover the SXSW Music festival, you have until Sunday! If the interview didn’t entice you enough, feel free to read my coverage from last year.
To nominate me, click here.
Be sure to list the nominee name as Annie Reuter
Web site http://yousingiwrite.com
Email atreuter@gmail.com.
Make sure you click on the confirmation email after your vote so it registers.
Thanks so much for supporting me!
Photo Credit: Wendy Hu
This week has been eventful for You Sing, I Write. My friend and colleague over at Seventeen Magazine alerted me to Perez Hilton’s latest “scoop” on Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson crushing on Taylor Swift. At first I thought, “Cool. He must have read my article.” But after reading his post I realized, Perez didn’t just read my interview — he PLAGIARIZED it.
After doing some digging, a friend alerted me to an article from OK! Magazine. It seems they developed the false story a few days ago to which Perez then picked up. Neither cited my original article and both were inaccurate with their quotes.
You see, it’d be one thing to exaggerate an article. Let’s face it, we all know none of the gossip sites are actually factual. But to completely steal someone’s work and not even attribute the quotes correctly is unprofessional and just plain sloppy. Both OK! and Perez claim Johnson said, “Taylor Swift is the perfect human being. She’s great. She’s such a nice, wholehearted, sweet girl, and she’s the biggest superstar in the world. My mom would be stoked if I brought her home.”
If you read my interview with the band from Jingle Ball, he never said this. Drummer John Keefe did. I wish this was the end of the debacle. Sadly, it isn’t. Turns out Johnson’s mom died after her battle with cancer a few years back. His fans took to Perez’s site to sling insults while Johnson simply tweeted “perez needs to check his sources.” and later, “obviously 100% of the american male population has a crush on taylor, but unfortunately I don’t have a mom to bring her home to.”
At the end of the day, this was a learning experience. And, while suing Perez Hilton and OK! Magazine isn’t realistic, I’m proud that I know enough about plagiarism and fact checking and came out the reliable source. Whoever says blogs aren’t the place to get the latest news must not be reading You Sing, I Write!
My request for all those gossip sites: get your facts straight and give credit where credit is due.
What are your thoughts? Do you read gossip sites to get music news? How would you have reacted in this situation?
Related Links:
• Q&A; with Boys Like Girls
• Q&A; with Taylor Swift
• Hundreds of Fans Camp Out to Meet Taylor Swift
• CMA 2009: Six Artists To Watch
I’ll be catching Mat Kearney tonight at Ramapo College with my cousins and covering it on Twitter if you’d like to follow along. I rated his New York performance last year as one my top 5 concerts of 2009 and am psyched to see his set tonight! His latest release, City of Black & White is easily one of my most listened to albums of 2009 and my cousin shares the same sentiments.
Every now and then a band sings a song that really hits home. Maybe something major is going on in your life, making you take a step back and reassess things. Perhaps you’re just confused as to the direction you’re headed and a simple three minute song clarifies it all for you. If you are really lucky, a friend or family member feels exactly the same way. This is partly why I’m so excited to share tonight with my cousins.
Last year, a few days before my birthday, I received by far the nicest message anyone could ever say to me via text. My cousin is going to kill me for typing this up, but (being part Italian) I have TONS of cousins so most likely he will still remain (somewhat) anonymous. I thought I’d share it with you all since many of you have been following my adventures since day one and are practically family already.
“Hey Annie what’s up, I’ve been reading your blog and it’s awesome. I can’t wait until your name is published in a HUGE MAGAZINE, because I know it will be, and I just wanted to ask you if you ever interview Mat Kearney again just let me know please. I really want you to tell him how much he influenced my life and how amazing his lyrics are, they really touched me. But above him, I care more about you. I can’t wait until I see the words ‘Annie Reuter, editor in chief’ in the ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine. Good luck I love you.”
Every now and then when I start to rethink this crazy life of mine as a music journalist I reread this text and it puts life back into perspective. I can’t wait to enjoy the show tonight as a music fan, and most importantly with my family.
Feel free to follow the show tonight on Twitter. For more on Mat Kearney, visit his Web site. If you haven’t listened to my interview with Mat, click here to learn about his latest album, writing process and stories behind the songs. For his view on writing about personal relationships, being an opening act and advice to aspiring musicians, click here.
Related Links:
• Q&A; with Mat Kearney
• Album Review: Mat Kearney’s “City of Black & White”
• Mat Kearney: Nashville Troubadour
• So Long 2009, Bring on 2010
Wednesday night at the SoundCtrl event I found out about the Flash Fwd endeavor they’re putting together with the help of Pepsi Music. It’s a campaign to honor people using technology, social and digital media to reshape the music industry. Basically, you vote for innovators in the music field and winners will receive travel and lodging to the SXSW Interactive Festival!
I know many of you loved my South By Southwest coverage last year and have been eagerly asking me about my attendance this year. Unfortunately, having five weddings coming up (including being in four!) I’ve opted against traveling to festivals since most of my money is going to my site relaunch and wedding festivities. But, if you REALLY want me to go you can nominate me to attend! Find more info below:
“You are invited to nominate and vote on individuals, groups and organizations for this award. Nominees are people you think are having a meaningful impact on the future of music through the innovative application of online and/or mobile technology. To become a finalist, each nominee must a minimum of 50 votes. Voting is now live and closes the last week in February. Do your part & nominate your favorite company or fellow innovator and tell us why their ideas FlashFWD. Five winners will be determined by an anonymous voting process by the SoundCtrl board members and announced the 1st week in March. Winners will receive travel and lodging to the SXSW Interactive Festival and will be recognized at the inaugural FlashFWD event on March 16th.”
I just need 50 votes to be in the running, so if you’d like me to attend SXSW you can enter me here. Be sure to list the nominee name as Annie Reuter, Web site http://yousingiwrite.com and Email atreuter@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!
Photo Credit: Emily Tan
The Roots’ ?uestlove was on hand last night for Sound Ctrl’s Social Media Week music panel in New York. Held at the former Tower Record building, the night’s discussion provided commentary on the trading and bartering currencies among artists, corporations and labels in today’s constantly changing music scene.
?uestlove touched upon everything from commercializing and licensing of music to industry troubles. “Business and art and commerce are a dirty combination. I’ll put it this way, I don’t think I would necessarily say, ‘I’m going to write this song and it’s going to be the Phillies World Series song and then I’m going to perform it when they win the World Series.’” Alluding to “Empire State of Mind,” he joked with the audience: “I’m not going to say anyone else did: cough: Jay-Z. If he wants to celebrate steroids, good let him.”
With the record industry in shambles ?uestlove addressed artists’ needs to branch out and not solely depend on label support. “I’m amazed at artists I meet that strictly rely on the label and nothing else,” he said. “I have to produce other people’s records. I have to drum on other people’s records. I have to write in other magazines. I have to DJ, blog. I have to be as ubiquitous as I could be. Initially, I guess we wanted to be so spread out that the label wouldn’t drop us. We never technically depended on record sale revenue for our personal survival. Artists have to change their mentality. It’s 2010 you’re going to have to become a little more creative than, ‘Yo, man I spit!’ Can you blog? Can you teach a class? You’re going to have to do a lot more than spit.”
Despite the downturn within the music industry, ?uestlove remains hopeful. Witnessing the “visual tsunami that has washed over the music industry,” during the Grammy Awards, he is convinced the business is changing for the better. “I can clearly see now that labels are more or less the middlemen. If you were to tell me Mariah Carey, for a specific amount of money, will create a project that will lead people to Pepsi’s Web site where you can get 10 new Mariah Carey songs – I clearly see that’s the future. Who knows, maybe the next Roots album will be brought to you by Downy or Raid roach spray. I’m serious. It’s going to go to that. Any bug spray people, tweet me up.”
As for his Twitter addiction, ?uestlove admits a few companies have approached him. “That’s when it starts to get scary because someone is dangling a million dollar carrot in front of your face and it’s the angel and devil on your shoulder. I’ve yet to consider how powerful my Twitter brand is. My computer is always at my side on the set of the show, in rehearsal, on the tour bus. I like to run my mouth. I like one liners. I usually use my Twitter account to try to put people onto new music. I use SwiftFM to give you access to a lot of exclusive stuff that you haven’t heard before. I haven’t sold out to Twitter yet. But I will.”
While the future of the music industry and social media’s role is open to question, the artist’s influence is far from extinct. “It’s quite possible and actually achievable for you to be an artist and to make music that inspires people and for you to also realize that this is a business. If you don’t realize that this is a business it’s the equivalent of trying to cross FDR without looking both ways.”
Moderated by new media strategist James Andrews, additional panelists included Sr. Marketing Manager of PepsiCo Andrew Katz and co-founder of Uncensored Interview Marisa Bangash.
The 52nd annual Grammy Awards air tonight on CBS at 8 p.m. Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher will be on hand for a special 3-D GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson. Do you have your 3-D glasses on hand?
With additional performances by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Pink, Zac Brown Band and more, the night’s sure to be jam-packed.
Taylor Swift and Beyoncé lead with the most nominations and my bet (and hopes) include Kanye West not making an appearance onstage. I’m sure there will be plenty of excitement regardless. Who do you think the big winners will be?
I’ll be live tweeting if you don’t have a chance to watch the show, so be sure to follow me on Twitter here.