Category: Articles

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Q&A

Stay Tuned: Interview with Bernard Baur

A few weeks ago I spoke with Bernard Baur, a journalist, A&R; reporter, creative consultant and instructor for the Music Business Program at the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA. Having worked in the music industry for over 25 years, Baur’s client list includes Guns N’ Roses, System of a Down, Butterfly Boucher, Matchbox Twenty, Rob Zombie, P Diddy, Lil Kim and many, many more.

Additionally, Baur was named one of the “Top Music Business Journalists” in the country by the National Association of Record Industry Professionals. Pretty impressive.

Bernard was nice enough to talk to me at great lengths about the constantly changing music industry as well as advice for up-and-coming bands and those looking for a career in the music business. Here’s just one of his answers:

Do you feel it’s easier for bands to breakout today?
If there was a blueprint or a simple map everyone could follow then everyone would be successful. Obviously there isn’t one because everyone isn’t successful. The beauty of it is that today there are very few rules. In fact, we all know a lot of the old rules don’t apply anymore; they don’t get results they used to. You can practically make up your own rules. I encourage my students at the Musicians Institute to be as creative and innovative as possible. It’s the people who are going to think of a new way to do things that are going to get attention.

I would really recommend any artist that they be as creative in their promotions and marketing as they are with their music. Don’t just follow same old template. If you can think of something unique and new and exciting you might get the attention and actually do break out. Some of the bands I’ve seen break out have had opportunities presented to them because they created those opportunities. They’ve done something unique and different that stands out enough and sets them apart from everything else. That’s another problem nowadays, there are so many other artists and you have to make yourself stand out somehow and the only way you can do that is to find what’s unique about you and think of some creative and imaginative way to let the public know you exist and hopefully once they know that and take a look at you, that you have goods to back it up.

For more of my in-depth interview with Bernard, be sure to check back next Tuesday!

Categories
News

So Long, Virgin Megastore

It’s official. Virgin Megastore in Times Square will be closing it’s doors in April. Tomorrow marks the beginning of their “biggest sale in music retail history.”

According to an article on hiphoppress.com, Simon Wright, CEO, Virgin Entertainment Group said, “This sale will give our loyal shoppers one last chance to browse the world’s largest music store. We’ll be offering discount prices on items that might be difficult to find in the days to come, and we hope our customers have a lot of fun shopping this final sale.”

Located in the hub of Times Square since 1996, Virgin Megastore is an American icon and tourist hot spot. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been there. Whether it was catching a glimpse of a musician on my lunch break or trips to New York in high school for album signings and instore performances, Virgin Megastore is a place I’ll definitely miss.

The official Virgin Megastore Web site describes the Times Square location as:

“not only one of the Big Apple’s biggest attractions, it’s also the largest entertainment store in the world! Here you’ll find the largest music, games, video and DVD inventory in the world … plus 600 listening posts, 100 video viewing stations, live music, a one-and-a-half story music video screen and more. Often host to impromptu appearances from artists appearing on MTV’s Total Request Live (filmed directly across the street), the Megastore has enjoyed hosting the first-ever instore appearances of Michael Jackson and Nine Inch Nails in the last year, plus many other cool events with acts like Eminem, ‘NSync and more.”

If you’re in the Times Square area, stop by before another major music location becomes a part of history. I’ll be going myself tomorrow.

Categories
CD Reviews

Album Review: Dan Freedman’s “Art Attack”

There is a quote I recently came across that read, “Music is what feelings sound like.” This couldn’t be a more perfect explanation of Dan Freedman’s debut album, Art Attack. Entirely instrumental, the listener feels the emotion produced throughout each track — words not needed.

Freedman, an accomplished jazz pianist and composer, shows listeners the true power of music on his release. Full of emotion, Freedman fills the 10-song disc with graceful and moving piano interludes, having the listener easily hear the pure joy he has playing with each stroke of the keys. While only two songs are Freedman originals, you wouldn’t have guessed it as he brings new life into eight of the remaining jazz standards. The album is a nice mix of piano, piano duo, piano/bass duo and piano/bass/drum trio settings.

Perhaps the liveliest track on the album is first track “On Green Dolphin Street.” A jazz infused song, Freedman demonstrates his prowess at the piano in this jazz trio format. A great way to start the album, “On Green Dolphin Street” is one of those songs you can listen to repeatedly and never get tired of. It’s easy to imagine it being played at a fancy restaurant or concert hall. His improvisational skills only heighten the listener’s regard for him throughout, never letting the listener down. Light percussion and bass accompaniment soon enters, only helping the beauty of the song. Second song, “Very Early” transitions well from the first track. In fact, most of the album runs incredibly smoothly into each other. While “Very Early” is mellower, “Solar” follows with a slightly faster and jazzier vibe.

“Wheatland” and “Chopsticks” bring much variation, but never stray from Freedman’s skilled piano playing. In fact, I don’t foresee a non-likable song on this album. “Sweet Georgia Brown” is edgier and livelier than previous tracks while “Lives At Stake” brings much desired percussion accompaniment closing the album. Any way you look at it, Art Attack is a solid debut album that shows much promise and a long musical career for Freedman.

You can also read the review here, originally posted on ReviewYou.com.

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Artist of the Week

Artist of the Week: Jem

Starting off sophomore release, Down to Earth with Brazilian percussion and soft, yet beautifully seductive vocals, Welsh singer-songwriter Jem catches the listener’s attention right off the bat. Track after track, Jem continues to leave her distinct mark, whether it is assisted by Detroit Gospel choirs, hip-shaking beats or introspective lyrics.

Truly an artist to watch, you probably have heard some of Jem’s music before. While her songs have been featured on hit television shows like, “The O.C.,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives,” “CSI Miami,” and “Six Feet Under” perhaps it is her song, “It’s Amazing” that’s most familiar — having been included on the Sex and the City movie soundtrack.

“I Want You To…” begins with Spanish dialogue and quickly segues into a catchy song with Latin beats, urging the listener to break out some salsa moves. Next up is “It’s Amazing,” an inspiring song with uplifting lyrics, “Patience, now, frustration’s in the air/And people who don’t care/Well it’s gonna get you down/And you’ll fall, yes, you will hit a wall/But get back on your feet an’ you’ll be stronger and smarter.”

The versatility throughout Down to Earth is incredulous at times. While diversity on an album is a strong attribute to any musician, Jem manages to change things up while staying true to herself. A mix of ballads, danceable Latin tracks and a foreseeable club hit in “Aciiid!” where she sings in Japanese, Jem is truly an artist to pay attention to.

Watch Jem’s video for “It’s Amazing” below and if you like what you hear, be sure to check her out on MySpace for more music!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XDxhDbtDak]

Categories
Features

Introducing Audrye Sessions + MP3 Download

I don’t know about you, but Sunday always seems to be my lazy day of relaxing around the house and checking out new music. One band that seems perfect to listen to on days like this is Oakland quartet Audrye Sessions. With laid-back vocals and fitting musical accompaniment, playing their music is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Take a listen to “New Years Day” here and watch the video for their first single, “Turn Me Off” below. For more on the band, be sure to check them out on MySpace or pick a copy of their self-titled debut in stores Tuesday, Feb. 17th.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1852640&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1
Audrye Sessions – “Turn Me Off” from Black Seal on Vimeo.

Categories
Features

Blast From the Past: What’s Your Get-Ready Song?

I completely forgot about this quiz I put together last year for mypromstyle.com. It’s more geared to girls prepping for prom, but could be relevant to getting ready for Valentine’s Day today perhaps? If you’re in the mood to take a quiz and find out what your “get-ready” song is click here. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “Love Is a Battlefield”

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day I decided to feature Pat Benatar’s 1983 hit, “Love Is a Battlefield.” I heard it on the radio just the other day and couldn’t think of a more perfect tune for this week. Turns out, Benatar won a Grammy from it in 1984 for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Watch the music video for it below and enjoy the dance segment mid-song. Gotta love the 80s! What’s your favorite 80s track?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjY_uSSncQw?fs=1]

Categories
CD Reviews

Album Review: Maia Hirasawa

Maia Hirasawa‘s music video for “And I Found This Boy” first caught my attention a few months ago. Not your everyday music video, it definitely jumps out at the viewer. (Watch it below). Since then, Hirasawa has been keeping busy putting the finishing touches on her debut album, due out this spring. She’ll be performing for the first time in the U.S. tonight at the infamous Hotel Café in Los Angeles. So, be sure to listen to her MySpace and if you’re in the California area stop by for her show!

The Swedish-Japanese singer’s debut, Though, I’m Just Me, is an eclectic mix of lively songs and ballads. In fact, she’s already been compared to Regina Spektor and Lykke Li, even Bust suggested her similarity to Feist and a “less-angsty Bjork.” While some tracks sound incredibly theatrical, others tell moving stories of seemingly real-life relationships. Having written and played almost every instrument on the 14-song disc, Hirasawa takes the listener on a journey on her debut release.

Beginning with beautifully light vocals accented by soft guitar picking on “Still June,” Hirasawa’s voice sounds familiar at first listen. The familiarity soon changes at the start of next track, “Crackers,” which has that Big Band feel with horn introduction and further musical accompaniment.

“Parking Lot” is a slower ballad showcasing Hirasawa’s soft, yet at times, wavering voice while “Star Again” features male backing vocals from fellow singer Anders Goransson, who sounds slightly reminiscent to Bono.

Stand-out track is “And I Found This Boy.” With fast-paced horn and piano interludes, this song will undeniably become stuck in one’s head all day long. Hirasawa’s fluctuating vocals throughout the track keep the listener intrigued and the upbeat musical accompaniment only adds to it’s catchiness.

“You and Me and Everyone We Know” differentiates itself from the album with a children’s choir accompanying Hirasawa during the introduction of the song which then quickly segues into a string feature. Another emotional track is “Roselin,” a sad story of a girl who can’t bear to be alone. Hirasawa sings, “She’s been abandoned by her family/Didn’t know that life could be that hard/But she never complains.”

For anyone looking for a new musician to add to his collection, Maia Hirasawa is one artist that deserves a listen. Not your typical album material, Hirasawa switches gears tastefully and has much to offer on her debut disc, Though, I’m Just Me.

Watch Maia Hirasawa’s video for “And I Found This Boy” below. If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check her out in concert tonight at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk92Pm38G6E]

Categories
Interviews

The Canon Logic

With the craziness of CMJ week back in October, I just realized I never posted my full Q&A; with the guys of the Canon Logic. Originally, I intertwined my show review and interview for my CMJ festival write-up, (which you can read here) but thought fans might want to read the interview in its entirety. Be sure to check TCL out on MySpace and if you like what you hear, catch their show this Friday at Southpaw in Brooklyn!

The Canon Logic are:
Mark Alu
Sean Enright
Josh Greenfield
Tim Kiely
Michael Mignano

To hear more about their upcoming album, live show and how they define their music (at one point, jokingly as “a mint-scented breath of fresh air”) read below.

Is this your first time at CMJ?
Tim: It’s our first time playing at CMJ, yeah.

I loved your set, how was it for your first CMJ performance?
Tim: It was unbelievable. The fans were great. We had a blast; we always have a blast onstage. We felt pretty tight.

Josh: I could only really see the first two rows of people. It wasn’t until the very end that I went up front and realized there was a pretty packed house, so that was cool. Our fans are great.

Mike: It’s pretty cool to know that we can get a good group of people out at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night and they’re acting like its 11 p.m. on a Saturday; dancing, screaming, singing along. So, it was cool, it was a good feeling.

Is this what you expected CMJ to be?
Tim: I think it was everything we expected and more.

Josh: It was really a great show; a lot of people were there. It was really nice to have our fans come out and support us. It felt like an awesome Saturday night show at a bar.

Tim: It’s fun to be a part of the madness, it’s exciting

You just released another EP and you’re working on an album also, right?
Mark: We just released our EP. It’s a collection of unreleased material just to give people a little something until we’re finished.

Josh: It’s sort of showcasing some of our other stuff. We have a live sound going, but we have some other music that we write that probably won’t make the album, but we still want people to hear it.

What should fans expect from your full-length album out in 2009?
Tim: We’ve dwindled the list from a couple hundred songs down to hopefully 10 to 12 songs.

Mark: It’s the best of the best that we’ve got.

Josh: We’ve finished instrumentals on four tracks and the production is ridiculous.

Tim: It’s the best sound we’ve had.

Mike: Expect a refreshing kick in the face.

How do you feel you stand out at CMJ vs. all the other bands around?
Tim: I think something that we do, which is the toughest aspect of our music, is having five people singing while also being able to handle the rock attitude. I don’t see many bands do it. I don’t know if I’ve seen a band do it and pull it off well. We’re really confident in what we’ve got going and I think that’s what separates us. And we’ve got great songs.

Josh: You can also expect a little bit of everything; some dancing, some singing along. We have a lot of songs that our fans come to shows to see and they’ve been learning the lyrics; they’re really easy to sing along to so they really enjoy getting into the songs and dancing and also head banging and rocking out too.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
Mike: Our corny catch phrase is a mint-scented breath of fresh air. Realistically, I’d say it’s a gritty blend of harmony driven pop.

Josh: I think that it hits on anyone from your grandparents to your parents, to my sister who’s in high school, she really likes it. I think we have a wide range of fans. We like to try and bring everybody together. We’re trying to pull from so many different influences. We really like the classic rock stuff and we also like what’s going on now. I think we have a good balance of the two, which allows everyone to really get into the music. We enjoy that aspect of it.

What else do you want fans to know about you?
Tim: Our blog, thecanonlogic.com. If you want to be up-to-date about what’s going on with the album. We post pretty much everyday. We’re writing songs every day. There is so much music to show people, we want them to hear it. That’s why we released this EP.

Mike: Can we tell a funny story? We definitely want everyone to visit our blog, we post very regularly to our blog multiple times a day. A quick funny story about that blog is, this morning I was picking up my badge for CMJ. I took a picture of the CMJ thing and I immediately uploaded it to our blog and I titled the post, “CMJ Badge Pick-up.” Well, somehow throughout the day anybody that ended up Googling CMJ Badge Pick-up was directed immediately to our site over CMJ.com. So, our site trumped theirs.

How did you pick your set-list?
Tim: We wanted to start off quick and really give everybody a kick to the face while also trying to show our versatility. But really, we were just trying to rock people out for 45 minutes to an hour. We like everyone dancing.

Mike: We like to keep people moving.

How do you react on nights when the crowd isn’t moving or interested in your performance?
Tim: We’ve been together long enough where there’s no one standing there. We try not to let whatever the audience is doing affect us. We’re always trying to be the best we can be. The audience definitely motivates us, but if they’re not kicking it, we still will.

Mike: The bottom line is, whether or not there is one person in the room or 100, we’re still going to give everybody that came the best performance we can give. We don??
?t get bummed b
y low numbers if we ever have them. We just rock out.

Did you prepare for your CMJ showcase differently than other shows?
Tim: Not too much differently than our normal shows, other than the fact that we’re giving out a lot of free stuff. We’re giving out our EP and hopefully you’ll see people around Manhattan wearing The Canon Logic sunglasses. Otherwise, no. Same kind of thing, coming out and playing our best.

Josh: We have enough loyal fans that every show, even though not everyone can make it to every show, the amount of people we’re pulling from ends up giving us a pretty packed house. A lot of our shows are similar in the sense that people are there, really getting into the music and enjoying themselves. We try not to change it too much.

What is the writing process like between all of you?
Josh: We all like to write. Generally Tim will bring a song in or someone will bring a piece to him and we’ll just throw out ideas. It’s rare that we ever have a finished song that one person brings and does. Maybe we’ll have a bridge and a chorus or a verse and a bridge and then we’ll expand and we’ll try different things. Our songs are rarely ever complete. We’ve been playing this one song, “The Run” for three or four years. It’s probably one of our first songs and we’re still changing it and trying to make it better. Nothing is ever really finished. We’re always trying to change and stay ahead of the curve and keep things fresh.

You were on Warped Tour and MTV2 recently. So your music is definitely getting out there.
Sean: Both of those were great because we rarely get to touch upon the teenage demographic. Usually we’re playing at bars so we’re lucky if we can sneak some 18+ in on a good night. That’s a huge crowd playing 13 through 18. We really take advantage of those; we either have give-a-ways or practice extra hard. I think the MTV2 thing was the perfect example. We made a point to be on point and grab as many fans as we could when we had a chance because those opportunities are, at the current time, few and far between.

Do you feel like a band can survive being independent or are you looking for that record deal?
Sean: We don’t feel any immediate pressure for our careers to get a record deal. We know plenty of bands who have gotten low-level indie with major distribution who have just gotten screwed over and they’re on the shelf for three years. We know better than to make a stupid move, but we can sustain ourselves if we put out a really good CD just on MySpace and grassroots. We’re smart guys; we have plans all the time, different marketing schemes.

Josh: The Internet has really been a great tool. We all work and during the day, probably about a few hundred emails in a given day might go back and forth so we’re always in contact. Sure, we have our jobs, but this is what we want to do. We try to do as much as we can on the Internet. I think we’ve gotten a lot of younger fans from the Internet because they’re the ones that go on the Web sites, comment and check things out. That’s why we like to try and get a few all-age shows, 18+. Sullivan Hall is a great venue because it’s 18+, so a lot of the kids from NYU come, a lot of college kids. In the end, that’s the loyal, dedicated people that come out. Once you’re out of college it definitely gets harder to come to shows. The Internet’s been wonderful to us.

Be sure to give the Canon Logic’s MySpace a listen and check out their Web site as well. Watch a live performance of fan favorite, “Avenue of Criminals” from their performance during MTV2’s “Battle of the Bands” below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAlz30OGPc0]

Categories
Band of the Week

Band of the Week: The Jim Ivins Band

I received an email a while back from frontman Jim Ivins of the Jim Ivins Band, telling me about their recently released EP, Back To Reality. Produced by Ace Enders (formerly of The Early November), the band has opened for a few musicians I’ve covered, including The Ataris and Sparky’s Flaw. So, I decided to give them a listen and liked what I heard.

The songs on Back To Reality are well-produced tracks both musically and lyrically. Begging references to The Ataris, Yellowcard and even New Found Glory, the Jim Ivins Band’s mix of pop-rock and emo-punk pulls the listener in. In fact, while listening I felt as if I was taking a trip down memory lane vividly picturing myself waiting in line to get front row at a Good Charlotte or New Found Glory concert.

When checking out their MySpace, one hears the progress from older and guitar heavy songs to the band’s latest release. First song off the EP, “The Chance” is a stand-up track that tells the story of unrequited love. With catchy choruses and light, soft vocals that recall fellow pop-punk band Yellowcard (whatever happened to them anyway?) and early New Found Glory, the Jim Ivins Band are well on their way.

The band’s sound is reminiscent to many emo band beginnings with those wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve type lyrics (see “Stages of Your Life”). However, the versatility is what branches them out and distinguishes the Jim Ivins Band from inhabiting just one genre of music. An example is “Two Hours Two Days Two Weeks,” which demonstrates more of a punk attitude than heard on previous tracks.

“Two O’clock Wake Up Call” is another must listen with solid guitar accompaniment and sing-along choruses while “Stages of Your Life” is a ballad that begins with soft vocals and guitar strumming.

Originally a solo project, Ivins recorded his debut full-length album in 2007. Soon after the band came together with the goal to make “catchy, accessible music with honest lyrics that are easily relatable.” And they’re doing just that.

Hard to place into one genre, the Jim Ivins Band is a promising Virginia-based band who have a bright future on the music scene. Just listening to the growth on their two EP’s is impressive. I’m excited to see what’s in store for them.

What do you think? Give them a listen on MySpace and let me know!