Audio Invasion 2012

The Bamp Project will be bringing Foster The People, Cage The Elephant, Best Coast, and Mariachi El Bronx to Oahu on February 8, 2012 for Audio Invasion. We don't get many bands here on the islands that I highly anticipate, so I am stoked about this event.

Check Bamp's Audio Invasion site for more details, or buy tickets at Ticketmaster.

See you there!

Merry Christmas Playlist

Be sure to check out my Spotify holiday playlist - Ho Ho Ho. It will put a jolt of holiday cheer in you. 

I compiled a very eclectic mix of holiday songs for your enjoyment. I think you should listen to them all, but I know you are probably busy, so please make note of the following:

• "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" - Julian Casablancas (duh.)
• "Christmas Duel" - Cyndi Lauper and The Hives (love it)
• "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" - N'SYNC (takes me back)
• "Last Christmas" - Wham! (no need for an explanation here)
• "Auld Lang Syne - Rob Hilton Mix" - The Dissident Army (wowza)
• "Christmas Day" - She & Him (classy)
• "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - Judy Garland (even classier. heart = happy)
• "Feliz Navidad" - Christmas Songs (meow)

For real, you should listen to them all, because they are all amazing.

Enjoy! Happy Holidays!

End Of The Year List

I usually don't like seeing the end of the year "best of..." lists that come out around this time of year. They annoy me, because most are peppered with mediocre music and those who should be recognized, are not (opinion!). 

I don't make my own list, because just as everyone else's lists annoy me, I'm sure other would think mine was just as boring. BUT, I am still going to point out my top personal favorites from this year, in no specific order.

Other Lives - "Tamer Animals"

Beirut - "The Riptide"

The Antlers - "Burst Apart"

I obviously have more than three favorites, but these three albums have been tremendously influential and enjoyed this year. I love these albums like I love an old friend. If you haven't listened to these three, it is a shame and you should immediately click the links above. 

Jack Johnson Stops By the 9th Annual John Kelly Awards

If you've read my blog before, you know that I am currently in an internship at an event planning and PR firm, Under My Umbrella. We've currently been working our tails off to bring together the 9th Annual John Kelly Environmental Awards and after all of our hard work, we pulled it off last night. 

The event was put on by the Oahu chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, "a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's oceans, waves and beaches." The Surfrider Foundation is a great organization working towards preserving our beaches and has many followers and supporters. 

In attendance lastnight was musician, Jack Johnson. If you know anything about Jack, you know that he is all about keeping things "green" and minimizing waste. He supports the Surfrider Foundation and all of their efforts.

Luckily, Jack was willing to play a few songs for us last night and I got a few on my phone. Please excuse the poor quality of the videos, but please notice the most adorable little girl dancing alone on the dance floor.

"Better Together" Live at John Kelly Environmental Awards

"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" Live at John Kelly Environmental Awards

If you are interested in keeping our beaches and oceans clean, check out the Surfrider Foundation and get some more information on them. 

How To Make The Most Out Of Your Blog

Do you know how to promote yourself on a blogging platform? Are you interacting with your followers correctly? These are things that artists should know when they begin a blog to help promote themselves. It is all about connecting with your fans.

I found this article on Billboard.biz by Chris Payne, which could be helpful for musicians using a blog to promote themselves. Though the article specifically discusses a musician’s presence on the blog platform, Tumblr, these tips can be applied to any blogging site. Below are the most important points that I took away from the article. As a fan, these are the things that I want to see when I visit an artist’s blog. You can see the full list of tips at Billboard.biz.

Don’t Be Shy. Get Personal!

Fans want to know what you do during your every day life. Where you travel to, what you eat for lunch, who you record with in the studio… These are all things that help your followers feel closer to you and want to know more about you.

Do Know What Sort of Content To Post

Keep in mind that this is not your band’s website. Yes, you can link to your tour dates and music on your site, but make sure you are posting content that is current and relevant to YOUR blog. Post pictures and videos from the night’s gig or of where you are traveling. These are all things that will pull viewers into your site.

Do Respond To Messages

Like I said, it is all about connecting with your fans and I can honestly say that I love it when a musician responds to something that I have posted. It is a very exciting feeling, so make your fans happy and RESPOND. Also, the person asking the question could be a writer or promoter wanting to get in touch with you. Keep your eyes open for these types of opportunities.

Do Mind Your Manners

Even though this is a more personal and relaxed platform, it doesn’t mean that you can just hang out in your underwear, so to speak. Make sure your posts are relevant and polite. Try not to pull a Kanye West and get all controversial on your followers, unless that is the angle you are trying to work.

Again, to see the full list of the dos and don’ts of blogging, go to Billboard.biz.

___

Sources:
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/indies/musicians-on-tumblr-ten-dos-and-don-ts-from-1005541772.story
http://www.aweber.com/blog-newsletters.htm

Girls - 'Vomit'

Girls performed their new album 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost.' See more at Pitchfork.tv.

Girls - 'Vomit'

Beirut - 'Santa Fe'

For your viewing pleasure...and mine. I love Beirut.

Beirut - 'Santa Fe'

And now live on Jimmy Fallon...I love Beirut, again.

Beirut - 'Santa Fe' on Late Night Jimmy Fallon

How Does Your Sponsor Make You Look?

Everyone needs a sponsor for touring, unless you’re driving across country in a beat up van. Even then money is spread so thin, you ask mom and dad to “sponsor” you a few bucks. My point is money is always needed for touring and promoting your music, but what does that sponsor say about your band or music?

Recently, Holy Ghost! had schedule tour dates across the U.S. to spread their joyous sound, only to realize they didn’t know how they were going to make it to each show.  Luckily, Mountain Dew’s in-house record label, Green Label Sound, came to the rescue.

Green Label Sound is known to promote more indie sounding musicians, so it was a match made in musical heaven. Mountain Dew is also linked with extreme sports such as snow boarding and skate boarding, which in a lot of cases seems to go hand and hand with indie electro rock.  Billboard.biz reports that, “Mountain Dew will receive on-site signage and product availability throughout the Holy Ghost - but any other branding opportunities will be strictly improvisational.”

In addition to receiving the money needed to tour, the band was also able to afford opening acts and a promotional tour video, which you can see below. This was obviously a good match up of musicians and tour sponsors, but is it always such a good pairing?

In 2009, Rascal Flatts signed a major tour sponsorship deal with JC Penney to promote the band’s new album ‘Unstoppable’ and JCP’s line ‘American Living.’ Per CMT.com, the sponsorship deal called for the band to agree to the following:

• Wear clothing from Penney's American Living apparel line during concerts. 
• Compose and record a tribute song titled "American Living" (to be available on a special CD sold only through Penney stores with CD proceeds going to the J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund, which funds afterschool programs). 
• Show American Living commercials throughout their concerts on two huge screens on either side of the stage. One of which you can view below.
• Wrap their fleet of tour trucks and buses in American Living commercial signage.
• Make American Living merchandise available for sale at each concert. 

In my mind, that looks a lot like a band selling out. I’m not saying that JCP’s ‘American Living’ brand doesn’t match Rascal Flatt’s brand, but it is a bit excessive to wrap some much of the band’s identity in a JCP package. 

All I am pointing out here is to be smart in your decision of choosing a tour sponsor. I understand every musician wants to promote their music and make a living, but at what cost. Make sure you aren’t selling your soul to get your music out there and that your sponsorship promotes the brand you’ve built.

___

Sources:
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/touring/how-mountain-dew-saved-holy-ghost-s-tour-1005437152.story
http://www.greenlabelsound.com/
http://www.cmt.com/news/nashville-skyline/1605967/nashville-skyline-is-rascal-flatts-tour-sponsorship-penney-wise.jhtml
http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=2614
http://www.cmt.com/videos/misc/367098/jc-penney-commercial.jhtml

ESTRIA INVITATIONAL FINAL IN HONOLULU - 2011

Here is a video of the 2011 Estria Invitational graffiti battle in Honolulu, HI. The event was held at the Honolulu Academy of Arts at Linekona on September 3, 2011. As part of my internship at Under My Umbrella, I was lucky enough to be a part of this event and learn a great deal.

ESTRIA INVITATIONAL FINAL IN HONOLULU

For more information visit the Estria Foundation's website or follow him on twitter at @estria.

St. Vincent - 'Year of the Tiger'

If you haven't listened to St. Vincent's new album 'Strange Mercy' you should get on it. It's amazing.

Below is a video of one of the new songs off of the album, enjoy. She's so bad ass.

St. Vincent - 'Year of the Tiger'

Time To Put It To Use

A few weeks ago I wrote about what Pete Cashmore of Mashable and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook could teach a young entrepreneur in “Learn From The Experts.” These two men have definitely made something of themselves following a few key rules, and it is about time for me to flee the nest to put those tips to use.

These two men have taught me to think long term when developing a business plan. Not only does show investors that you have a well thought out plan, but it helped me to see the big picture. By envisioning the whole process, it allowed me to tweak ideas and think of new ones.

The second and main thing these two entrepreneurs taught me was to dream big. My business plan includes ideas that I never thought I would be capable of coming up with. I have completely taken my beginning idea and ran with it. Sometimes it can be difficult for me to be as creative as I want, but I pushed myself very hard for this project and I am glad that I dreamed big.

As a graduate student, I have done my fair share of researching different techniques for being successful and it seems that two keys to have are creativity and persistence. As long as you have these traits you will survive. There are many bright minds out there, but they don’t have the motivation to make something of themselves. And I’ll be honest, there are a lot of times that I just want to quit, but where’s the fun in that?

In addition to following these tips, you should pay special attention to certain sections of your business plan. Entrepreneur.com says the business concept, market overview, and financials sections are the most important and I completely agree with them. The business concept section will give the investor an idea of what your product/service is. It is where they get to know you. Secondly, the market overview helps to investor to understand if there is a market for your idea. If there isn’t any room for growth in the market, then the investor isn’t going to be interested. Lastly, the investor needs to know what kind of money you are looking for. By providing him with your financial section they will know exactly how much is needed to start your business.

I have constantly taken these techniques into account while developing my final business plan. So many factors go into the development of a business plan; what to do, what not to do, how to word it, how to make it look, etc. On top of that, the people you hand your business play to have already viewed many other business plans, so you have to make yours stand out.

Just remember that your idea is great and that you can reach your goals with persistence.

___

Sources:

http://www.allfacebook.com/what-every-entrepreneur-should-learn-from-mark-zuckerberg-2010-06

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219592

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/38290

http://billingsleykatie.blogspot.com/2011/10/learn-from-experts.html

http://www.betadaily.com/2010/02/07/professional-business-plan-writer/

Wish I Made It to Austin City Limits Fest 2011

Things came up that made me miss out on this year's Austin City Limits Festival, but I'll survive. There is always Coachella in April.

Anyway, here are a couple of performances that I would have killed to see...

The Antlers - 'I Don't Want Love"

Alexander - 'Truth'

AWOLNATION - 'Burn It Down'

Do you agree? NME's 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years

To celebrate their 15th anniversary, NME released their list of 150 best tracks from the last 15 years, and I agree with a few.

I actually like most of the songs on the list, but the order is off for me. Do you agree??

Some of my obvious favorites from the list, though I don't agree with the numbering, include:


141 - Gorillaz "Clint Eastwood"

139 - Coldplay "Yellow"

121 - Santogold "LES Artistes"

118 - LCD Soundsystem "All My Friends"

107 - Radiohead "No Surprises"

99 - MGMT "Kids"

76 - Beck "Where It's At"

49 - Best Coast "Boyfriend"

44 - Muse "Knights of Cydonia"

29 - Crystal Castle "Alice Practice"

22 - Arcade Fire "Wake Up"

6 - The White Stripes "Fell In Love With A Girl"

4 - The Strokes "Last Nite"

---

Source:

http://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/1

First Music Festival in Afghanistan in 3 Decades

On Saturday, October 1, 2011, Afghanistan held their first music festival, Sound Central, in three decades. Though the festival was only six hours long, musicians from Australia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan were all there to rock out. 

During the 6 hour gig music had to be stopped twice for the call to prayer and no alcohol was served. This isn't the typical music festival I usually write about, but it is music and a huge step for Afghanistan, where music was outlawed under the Taliban regime. 

Here is a video of festival goers rocking out and having a good time. Hopefully this is just the beginning of music festivals to come.

----

Sources:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/afghanistan-holds-first-rock-concert-242875

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/01/us-afghanistan-rock-idUSTRE78T27720111001

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15142243

30STM - 'Hurricane' (Explicit)

30 Seconds to Mars visited Hawaii this week and unfortunately I missed the show, but it did remind me that I really liked their second album 'A Beautiful Lie' and a couple of songs off of their newer album, 'This Is War.' 'Hurricane' is definitely one that I liked (make that loved) off of the new album. This video has been out for a while now, but call me crazy, I love it. It has some pretty explicit things in it, so viewer beware. It also features Jared Leto without a shirt, which is a plus.

30 Seconds to Mars - Hurricane (explicit)

Learn From The Experts

Some of you may already know this, but I am working on my Master’s Degree in Entertainment Business and I have been trying really hard to soak up all the knowledge that I can to make something of myself. While going through each of these classes I always find myself wanting to know more about a subject and digging a little bit deeper to find research on my own.

In my current class, we are discussing business plans and how to develop an effective strategy for your business. This makes me think of the social media entrepreneurs out there and what they have learned from their start-ups. I chose the obvious social media guru and creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and founder of Mashable, Pete Cashmore, to find out what they can teach new entrepreneurs from their experience.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook

Even if you haven’t seen the movie ‘The Social Network’ you know who Zuckerberg is and what he has accomplished, but for the sake of being thorough I will give you some background information:

• CEO and Founder of social media network, Facebook
• Studied Computer Science at Harvard University
• Founded Facebook in February 2004
• Facebook has more than 800 million active users
• Facebook’s net worth as of January 2011 is $50 billion, (Venture Capital, 2011)
• Zuckerberg’s net worth as of September 2011 is $17.5 billion, (Forbes, 2011)

Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable

Cashmore is less publicly known, but his website, Mashable, is a well known news site and is growing quickly. Here are a few key points on his background:

• CEO and Founder of social media and digital news blog, Mashable
• Skipped out on college
• Founded Mashable in 2005
• Mashable has more than 50 million monthly pageviews & 17 million unique monthly visitors, (Mashable, 2011)
• Mashable’s “revenue is in the millions but that is as much as Cashmore will say about it,” (Reuters, 2011) 

Now to the main question…

What can these two guys teach us to help develop our business plans?

Let me start by saying that even though your business may not be strictly social media or web based, you can still learn a thing or two from these tech saavy guys. They have both found ways to make themselves successful that would apply to anyone starting a new business.

Dream Big

Zuckerberg has obviously demonstrated how big he would like Facebook to be nowadays, but did he always dream for it to be this big? 

Nick O'Neill points out that Zuckerberg has began exercises to help him develop ideas that can only be accomplish with unlimited resources. This helps him to take the company above and beyond, but the key is confidence. Without the confidence to believe in your ideas, they will not succeed. 

Cashmore says, "A lot of people start out with an exciting thing and they want to take over the world, but really the people who do take over the world have a good plan of how to get there and the steps along the way."

You have to think outside the box when developing your ideas for your business plan. Not only will this help you to accomplish your goals in the long run, but it will show investors that you are innovative and creative.

Be the 'New Kid'
This tip goes in hand with dreaming big, but you should take advantage of being the 'new kid.' You can learn from the mistakes of other businesses, but Cashmore says to embrace your naivete in the industry. This will help you to develop something completely new and unthought of. 

By being the 'new kid' you are able to invent yourself in whatever way you see fit. Take advantage of this and dive head first into the challenges ahead. This too will show investors that you are creative and willing to take risks to succeed.

Think Long Term
O'Neill says if there is anything that you can learn from Zuckerberg it is to stick with your long term plan. Investors want to know that you have a plan for the long term life of the business and that their money isn't being recklessly spent, so think long term. 

Try to vision your business plan over a 5 to 10 year span. This doesn't need to be very specific since many adjustments will be made over the span of this time, but it will help you to identify your goals, reach them, and grow your business. 

Just look at how big Facebook is now. A small idea with a long term goal of connecting people and now you have a social media conglomerate that won't be disappearing anytime in the near future...or ever.

---

Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet
https://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?founderbios
https://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

http://www.forbes.com/profile/mark-zuckerberg/http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/goldman-invests-in-facebook-at-50-billion-valuation/

http://www.allfacebook.com/what-every-entrepreneur-should-learn-from-mark-zuckerberg-2010-06
http://emarkzuckerberg.com/2011/05/what-entrepreneurs-can-discover-from-mark-zuckerberg/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219592

http://mashable.com/about/

http://kaleazy.com/revenue-and-net-worth-of-the-20-most-popular-blogs/

http://blogs.reuters.com/small-business/2011/01/11/the-most-influential-ceos-under-30/

Thank You Jeff Tweedy.

These videos crack me up. It's Jeff Tweedy from Wilco covering The Black Eyed Peas. I like the way he sings the lyrics all monotoned. Laugh with me!

Jeff Tweedy - 'I Gotta Feeling' Cover

Jeff Tweedy - 'Rock that Body' Cover

Buddy Holly Tribute Album - 'Rave On Buddy Holly'

More than 50 years ago Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and pilot, Roger Peterson died in a terrible plane crash in Iowa. The three musicians were touring through the Midwest and had boarded a prop plane to take them to their next stop. 

This last week on September 7^th, Buddy Holly would have turned 75 years old; he was 22 when he died.

Buddy Holly’s music has been inspiration for many other musicians and is still listened to by all types of people and age groups. Not only was his music inspirational, but it was also ground-breaking for its time. Fortunately, a group of musicians have put together this great tribute album so that we can remember him and his pioneering music

The tribute album is jam packed with great artist such as Paul McCartney, Lou Reed, Julian Casablancas, Modest Mouse, The Black Keys, and way more. The songs that are covered offer a diverse mix and experience, because not only are they Buddy Holly’s wonderful songs, but each artist adds their own flare to the music.

I have a few favorites on the album and if you read my blog on a regular basis, then you know that one obvious favorite is Julian Casablancas. Below is the YouTube clip of Julian Casablancas' version of the title track, 'Rave On.' Like I mentioned before, it has the soul of Buddy Holly's music, but with Casablancas' signature twist.

Julian Casablancas - 'Rave On'

I also really enjoyed She & Him’s ‘Oh Boy’ because Zooey Deschanel makes me smile. Another favorite includes The Black Keys’ cover of ‘Dearest.’ Dan Auerbach’s voice is…amazing. I don’t know what else to say about it, it just makes me so happy when I hear him sing.

If you have not listened to ‘Rave On Buddy Holly’ yet, it is a definite must for everyone, not just Buddy Holly fans.

Here is the full track list for your viewing and listening pleasure:
1. “Dearest” – The Black Keys (2:06)

2. “Every Day” – Fiona Apple & Jon Brion (2:19)

3. “It’s So Easy” – Paul McCartney (4:35)
4. “Not Fade Away – Florence + The Machine” (4:02)

5. “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care” – Cee Lo Green (1:31)

6. “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” – Karen Elson (2:25)

7. “Rave On” – Julian Casablancas (1:55)

8. “I’m Gonna Love You Too” – Jenny O. (2:11)

9. “Maybe Baby” – Justin Townes Earle (2:06)

10. “Oh Boy” – She & Him (2:18)
11. “Changing All Those Changes” – Nick Lowe (1:41)
12. “Words Of Love” – Patti Smith (3:20)
13. “True Love Ways” – My Morning Jacket (3:25)
14. “That’ll Be The Day” – Modest Mouse (2:15)
15. “Well…All Right” – Kid Rock (2:09)
16. “Heartbeat” -The Detroit Cobras (2:20)
17. “Peggy Sue” – Lou Reed (3:19)
18. “Peggy Sue Got Married” – John Doe (3:57)
19. “Raining In My Heart” – Graham Nash (3:30)

------
Sources:
http://www.mxdwn.com/2011/04/28/news/rave-on-buddy-holly-tribute-to-hollys-75th-birthday-feat-the-black-keys-julian-casablancas-modest-mouse/
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/buddy-holly-remembered-tribute-albums-233269