BANDCOCKTAIL.COM

A new song of mine. I wrote it in Asheville, NC and recorded it a month ago in the kitchen of a buddy of mine in Urbana, IL with lots of high-tech video equipment and cutting-edge CGI effects. Hope you like.

Music video to Flipron’s “Raindrops Keep Falling on the Dead”, directed by Alex de Campi and animated by Ryan Parker. Check out more great Flipron music at www.myspace.com and more Lot 49 Films videos at youtube.com

As you or your band performs, be it from club to club around town or nationally, there is usually one thing lingering in the back of your mind…

How do you go about getting that one big break that will push you ahead toward greater recognition and success artistically?

You know it happens to artist and bands all the time. That time could come soon for your group to break out of the local scene and land that recording contract or national tour that will get you on your way to greater success.

You know there are tried and true methods. Having a great demo or being interviewed on the local radio shows at once seemed like a good idea. But times have changed in the music industry. In this article, we will discuss some up-to-date information and inside tips on how to get noticed in this tough business, in short I�ll give you some info that will literally place on the music industry radar screen. The knowledge that I�m about to share with you will work for any and everyone: Songwriters, Singers, Musicians, Rappers and for all genres of music: Pop, Rock, Rap, Gospel, R&B, Jazz, Grunge, Country and everything in between!

Where are the Scouts?

You have had the thought run through your mind as you perform for an enthusiastic crowd in a club or bar. Are there music industry scouts in this crowd? Maybe you just laugh it off but you have heard that they are out there watching bands like yours and signing the talented ones to develop into stars.

What you have heard is true. Industry insiders tell us that now more than ever, scouts are everywhere. You may worry that you are not living in one of the big �music industry towns� like New York, Chicago, L.A. and Nashville but that isn�t important. Remember, Seattle wasn�t on the map before grunge hit and they found Sir Mix A-Lot and for you Rock Heads, Kurt and Eddie.

But what if you don�t always have the biggest audience in town. Well, some of the biggest acts in the music business were �discovered� playing to a small and intimate crowd. If your performance is strong and you are getting good word of mouth, the music industry scouts will find you and check you out. So perform every night like they are out there because there is no reason to believe that they are not.

Go Get Them

But you don�t have to sit around and wait for them to come to you. The new �hunting grounds� for bands and talent are well known to the insiders. Once you know who it is that is feeding the information to music industry scouts and agents, you can learn the tricks of the trade to feed information about you or your band into that system. Here are a few of the newest methods and venues you can use to get yourself noticed:

* Perform, Perform, Perform. These days the local club scene is the most important way to get noticed. Don�t wear yourself out chasing agents or scouts. If your performances are strong, that will create a buzz and the word of mouth will get you noticed. Then the scouts will come to see you rather than you having to go and chase them.

* Build your relationship with your audience. Insiders tell us that scouts will come to a show for a musical venue they don�t even understand. If you are doing something bold and new that they are not able to evaluate musically, they will go by the crowd. If your audience responds with excitement and enthusiasm, that is what gets the eyes and ears of music executives. So pour yourself into the people for whom you are performing. That�s what you love to do anyway so it�s an easy way to get noticed and the right way too.

* Build your local network. Industry agents know club owners and booking agents for local events very well. If you have a strong reputation with them, they will pass that information along to the scouts who are looking for new talent.

* Indie (independent) labels are also a rich source of information for the larger recording houses to find out about up and coming bands. You may have indie labels near by so get to know them and get them to your shows so when they have a chance to connect you to a scout, your band is on their list of hot new acts.

* Never miss a chance to network but look for innovative ways to advertise yourself as well. The internet has lots of new and interesting sites that scouts are starting to watch for new talent. If you have the resources, get a web page up and get some MP3 samples of your performances out there. You can easily set up a website using a service like http://www.MyWebSiteMyMusic.com and you can also easily put your music on your site or anywhere else online, even in emails in MP3 format using a service like the one offered at http://www.ListenToMyMusicOnline.com .

The services offered by these two websites are extremely inexpensive and so simple to use, a 5 year old could do it, yet they will have you looking like a music industry professional in no time at all.

Is the Demo Dead?

From what we have learned so far, you would think the demo is ready to go into the hall of fame as an out-of-date tool. But the demo tape still has some real value to you. The best demo is one that showcases not only your musical skill but the personality and the performance skill of you or your band. If you can have someone put a demo together from one of your performances, that gives an agent or scout a bit of a feel for what to expect from you when he comes to see you.

So treat the demo as part of your bag of tricks but it isn�t the thing that is going to seal the deal. If a scout likes what he hears or at least his curiosity is peaked, he will then seek out ways to see you live. Then we are back to the club atmosphere, your relationship with your crowd and your performance. Those are the things that will get you noticed in a way that will lead to bigger breaks. Look at the demo as just the hook with a little bit of bait on it. You can also use your demo on your web page along with some video footage of your live performance to showcase the excitement of your shows. Remember both http://www.ListenToMyMusicOnline.com and http://www.MyWebSiteMyMusic.com offer some of the best services in the industry for doing this.

Video Didn�t Kill the Radio Star

Radio used to be the primary medium for distributing information about new acts and for getting your music played and noticed. But changes in ownership of radio stations and in how they are programmed have changed that too. The radio station is no longer a significant communication channel for you to use to get on the music industry radar screen.

A lot of factors have dropped radio off the radar screen for getting noticed. Airplay is not as much of a factor as it used to be when there was a lot of diversity in radio. Radio is nearly a monopoly with all of the play list decisions made by one central national firm. So if you think that any one individual at your area radio stations makes airplay decisions, you should revise that opinion because they do not. This little insider tip alone can save you huge amounts of wasted energy and frustration when trying to get noticed.

But don�t worry, scouts and music industry agents know they will not find the new, the innovative and the creative music on radio. They have turned from it to use local networking and club performances as their radar screen for new talent.

You do the same. Do not concern yourself a great deal with local radio coverage. Even college radio is virtually a dead venue for getting noticed in this new market. Focus on where the real contacts are being made today, through local contacts, word of mouth and above all club and local festival performances. Other good habits include using music industry contact directories like the one found at http://www.MusicBizPhoneBook.com which list contact information to over 20,000 important people in the music industry.

It�s all in your network and what is happening on the street that will make the difference between you getting noticed or not. In a way, that�s the way it always should have been, having the focus placed on your band talent, performance skill and live shows. That is where your strength is anyway. Be a savvy marketer and use this knowledge to raise the awareness of your band, your talent, your songs and your performances.

The official music video for the song “Chips Ahoy” taken from The Hold Steady’s new album “Boys and Girls In America.” In stores now! www.myspace.com/theholdsteady

It’s the twenty-first century and everyone’s got their own personal soundtrack! Everywhere you go you see people with iPods, Creatives, or any random mP3 player stuck to their ears. Most people can’t get through their mornings without a little tune to wake them up. Seems like everyone needs to listen to music, to feel a beat, to hear a melody?it gets you through the boring bits of the day. Do you have an hour long commute ahead of you? Listen to music. Just plug in your earphones and put on a little Amy Winehouse or maybe some Kanye West. If you want to relax and mellow down, listen to some Jeff Buckley. Or if you want to move your feet, just listen to Justin croon his Sexyback. Going out with your friends? If you want to dance all night, listen to the music playing in the hottest clubs and groove and grind to the beat.

Music is one of those things that can bridge any gap. Old men, young kids, Asians, Europeans; it doesn’t matter! Anyone and everyone know what music is. Its a sure bet that kids living in the Amazon jungle have heard Michael Jackson and Madonna. If you go to Japan and walk into a club and they’ll be playing the same songs as kids in America. Singers in England know Edith Piaf’s songs even of they don’t speak French. Music is universal, and if people across the world have one thing in common it’s that they listen to music. And they don’t have a lack of options! Music is anything but boring; it changes and grows every day. Nowadays we have pop-rock, country-pop, indie-blues and any other genre you can think of. Whatever you want, guaranteed there is an artist out there that has a tune to fit your style and your mood.

Getting music is easier than it was ten or even five years ago. We don’t even have to buy CDs anymore, what with the incredible invention of mP3s and the internet. You can just download songs from the comfort of your own home. You can get songs by the dozen and have them ready in ten minutes. A whole world of music is open to you, through the internet you can download songs from Romania if you want; or you can just find the latest album of your favorite artist and have it by the click of a button. The amount of songs you download is only limited by how much space you have on your computer and the speed of your internet connection.

Never has listening to music been so good or so easy! Better music, new types of music and new artists are popping up every second. New music is flooding your radio waves, TV screens and the World Wide Web. And we can have it all just by turning on our computers. Downloading songs is the easiest and cheapest way to fill your head with all the tunes you want to hear. You can get literally thousands of songs in a matter of days. Rhianna says “Please, don’t stop the music”; well in this day and age that’s not a problem. Music is unstoppable.

© 2008 Ucombo.com. All rights reserved. Ucombo.com – Listen to, download, and embed music.

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Downloading MP3 music online is really a normal daily affair for music lovers. There is nothing fanciful really. People have this misconception that as long as you are not paying for your MP3 music files, it is not legal to do so. And the contrary may not be true as well. So it can be quite enlightening to know that there are places where you can actually download music MP3 online for free legally. This article will take you to several sites where you can find music online to download for your MP3 player or computer.

Amazon.com

This site actually has a free section to download MP3 music online. We are not talking about music that is unwanted and unpopular here but some of the greatest and most exclusive music pieces from the hottest musicians around the world today. Not only do you get to download selected tracks from popular artists, you can also download music from various genres like Indie Rock or Jazz. It is quite likely that you can find your favourite band of music there.

Epitonic.com

Epitonic offers you a rather extensive and large database of MP3s. In fact, users are amazed at the collection of music MP3s and the variety of music genre they have. When you download MP3 music online at this site, be prepared to find lots of high quality free downloads for your MP3 player.

CommonTunes.org

This is a community music directory where you can freely download MP3 music online of all kinds of music from classics like pieces by Beethoven to music by Bright Eyes. It is a good starting point for anyone who wants to get hold of some MP3 music downloads.

Garageband.com

This site is another site that gives you the chance to download MP3 music online for free. The uniqueness of the site lies in the fact that the music is originally produced by independent bands and musicians that you have not heard of. These are the wannabes waiting to be discovered by talent scouts. One such musician is Bo Bice of American Idol 4. So if you are a great fan, you can download the music there.

Matador Records

Matador is one great place to find music MP3s from popular Indie groups as well as other music genres. This site allos you to download free and totally legal music files from groups like Spoon, Stephen Malkmus, Guided By Voices and so on. All you ever need to do is to drop by at their free MP3 music online page to download the music pieces.

When it comes to finding the right music sites to download MP3 music online for free, it becomes quite clear that there are trusted places to do so. But not all sites that you find online allow you to do so safely and free from harmful malware. So be sure to check carefully. Read up more on where you can download unlimited numbers of MP3 music files for less than a dime per download at my music blog.

www.myspace.com/thenortherncrowns

No other type of music stirs the soul and is more widely loved among all groups of people than instrumental music. Solo guitar music is passionate, alive, and full of artistic expression. It crosses social boundaries including ethnicity, religion, and geographical region. Solo piano music is relaxing and soothing. Whether you listen as you relax or listen as you work, great instrumental music can help eliminate distractions, introduce a gentle rhythm to your system and leave you feeling refreshed and restored.

Finding free instrumental music online used to be extremely difficult, but the internet has changed all of that. New and established artists are now able to upload their favorite pieces online for people to download and enjoy. This has enabled artists to utilize the low-cost advertising methods of the internet to get their music out there where it can be heard and enjoyed. But…not all freely-available music is worth listening to. Different level of creativity, performance talent and recording quality can lead to wild variations in the quality of free music. So, quality is the first problem.

What’s been good for the internet has largely been bad for the mainstream music business. You’re likely to find it difficult to locate and purchase quality instrumental music in brick-and-mortar stores due to the limited selection that most music stores carry these days. Those stores which have survived so far generally focus more on stocking big-name best-sellers…and most quality instrumentalists these days fall into the category of “indie musicians”…so they are ignored. So, you may ask…why not simply go for peer-to-peer music sharing (stealing) services? Well, in addition to the moral issues…you have to be careful not to download viruses, spyware, and adware along with your music selections. So, availability is the second problem.

Virus-free music that is uploaded by up-and-coming indie artists is generally easier to find, but it often requires visiting several sites to download a large enough selection to fill up one CD. You’ll likely have to visit many artist websites individually find what you’re looking for. This can be an incredibly time-consuming process. So the third problem is accessibility.

But I’ve recently discovered two sites which offer all three…without fear of viruses and without the need to steal to discover new music:

quality

availability

accessibility

The distribution format is MP3…so there are no hassles with Digital Rights Management (DRM) issues, either.

For a delightful variety of fingerstyle and tapstyle instrumental music performed on acoustic guitar: FreeSoloGuitar.com

And for a great selection of beautiful new-age solo piano pieces: FreeSoloPiano.com

Now I can find music to suit my mood no matter what it is. These sites have quickly become some of my favorites for downloading free music.

“Young Knives” are a three-piece indie rock band hailed from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire in England. Their band members are Henry Dartnell (Vocals and Guitar), Thomas “House of Lords” Dartnall (Vocal and Bass) and Oliver Askew (Drums and Backing Vocals). They are notable for their geek rock genre, a sub-genre of alternative rock.

Superabundance reminds me of The Futureheads. There are two parts on this album, the first part is fast and crunchy, where the second part is soft and steady. Just like going for a party, we dance till we drop.

Superabundance gets me on with steady guitar and bass filled “Fit 4 U”. This song has the elements and ingredients of a disco rock track, even though the electronic elements are not that obvious. Young Knives really know how to set our mood on and leave us wondering whether we could get more of such tracks.

“Terra Firma” has a 13 seconds intro which brings back the sound of classic guitar rock. Once the tempo comes in and hit it, guitar riffing can be heard constantly in the background, as if we’re listening to the echoes of the guitar. Not only that, Young Knives invite people to join in their chorus by raising their hands and sing, “Fake rabbit, real snake, terra firma, terra firma…” Strange lyrics, but the guitar echoes told me to just enjoy Terra Firma.

“Up All Night” started off with some wolf-like howls. The guitar that comes in right after resembles those of Terra Firma. Honestly, Up All Night has got some great rhythm and music that i didn’t really expect. The chorus especially, shows some great combination work between the guitar and the vocals of Young Knives.

In “Counters”, Young Knives can be heard as if they were singing away at a distance, “We’re not numbers… We’re the counters…” But once the real song hit the right gear, the whole song wakes me up and i find myself nodding and enjoying Counters. The guitar of Counters is really catchy and not only that, the chorus that comes along fits in very well. No doubt that Counters is one of the notable tracks on Superabundance.

“Light Switch” has quite a long music intro before Henry can be heard singing. With the guitar sounding sort of cute during the verse, i find myself smiling mildly when listening to Light Switch. “You are the light switch…”, sung Young Knives. The chorus here almost has the same effect as Terra Firma, simple and easy to follow, and yet catchy. Young Knives take it slow with “Turn Tail”. The guitar intro somewhat reminds me of Here We Are by Bloc Party, constant plucking at the same note throughout a period of time. With Turn Tail, Young Knives are showing another side of themselves. I saviour the chorus particularly, “Turn tail and run, i will turn tail and run…” where viola can be heard supporting the vocals of Henry and co.

“I Can Hardly See Them” has an explosive opening with steady drum beats and guitar stroking, leaving me impatient. Throughout this track, i can feel that Young Knives are trying something new here. I Can Hardly See Them is different from the tracks above so far. For some, they might think this track is banging loud. But for me, i like the fact that Young Knives are trying to show us what they are capable of doing. I Can Hardly See Them stands out in its near-explosive music.

“Dyed in the Wool” struck me instantly. The guitar, bass and drums are so catchy and friendly, one couldn’t help but like this song. You can find Young Knives belting it out together in the chorus, “I’m dyed in the wool….” in a number of loops. The funny thing is, when Young Knives do this, i find myself picturing Young Knives turning their heads as they sing. Dyed in the wool is a simple track with the repeating music from start to end, but i like it.

Young Knives begin “Rue the Days” with, “La la la la…”. Following on, Henry sings in some sort of surround-voice. It reminds me of Damon Albarn of Blur in some ways. In the chorus, Young Knives again belt it out together in this 90s-influence track. Rue the days can sound old, but to me, they sound brand new and good.

“Flies” is a short song dedicated to flies and is accompanied by brief guitar and bass, only viola can be heard most of the time. Not a bad track if you pay attention to the lyrics.

“Mummy Light the Fire” is a mid tempo track where it’ll slowly grow onto you. The chorus is great with Henry keeps repeating, “Mummy Light the Fire… Fear, I feel fear…” until the music just blends in with the rhythm of Henry’s singing, especially with the sound of what sounded like a car’s honk or some trumpets. It’s like driving a new car until you be one with the car. How does that feel? You should know yourself.

The first part of “Current of the River – Long Cool Drinks by the Pool (Hidden Track)” is also a mid tempo track with the quality of ending an album. For the verses, it’s quiet and tempo-building. When it comes to the chorus, it explodes! Young Knives play it banging loud and keep the person listening to Superabundance awake with, “The current of the river, brings voices under water…” Young Knives know where to hit the loud button and where to hit the quiet button in Current of the River, making it worth your while to check out this song. Long Cool Drinks by the Pool is not a bad track as well. Its musical style shares a common with Art Brut’s, speaking rather than singing throughout the whole track. The guitar gives us an impression that havoc is coming, and sounding cute at times where Young Knives go, “La la la la…” Definitely a happy and laughing ending for Superabundance.

Rating: Superabundance by Young Knives has a lot in common with This Not The World by The Futureheads. They are really playing it big in the post-punk revival genre. Throughout Superabundance, if you listen carefully, there are some electronic and dance elements in all their songs. It’s really good for party-goers who have low appetite for pure electronic music. And the person is me. Well it took quite a while for me to like Superabundance, perhaps after the second time listening to them? And i surely didn’t regret liking and enjoying it. There are some really catchy music and hook on Superabundance, and never fails to get me nodding my head. Not bad at all, i would rate Superabundance by Young Knives 6.9 out of 10.

Stand-Out Tracks (My Picks): Fit 4 U, Terra Firma, Counters, Light Switch, I Can Hardly See Them, Dyed in the Wool and Long Cool Drinks by the Pool.

Cheers!

Darren Tan

Indiesurf.com

The first video for Houston based rock band Saturate for their first single off their new album. Also the debut music video for up and coming Houston filmmakers the Martinez BroS. from Houston based G Films. Director: MARTINEZ BRoS. Producer: Twizted Twinz/Joe Yayo/G Films Editor: G Films copyright 2008 BCD Music Group