2009-05-04

G.O.O.D. MUSIC TO RELEASE FIRST INDEPENDENT ALBUM G.O.O.D. MORNING, G.O.O.D. NIGHT EXCLUSIVELY

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G.O.O.D. MUSIC TO RELEASE FIRST INDEPENDENT ALBUM G.O.O.D. MORNING, G.O.O.D. NIGHT EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH 101 DISTRIBUTION

Kanye West is one of the most innovative and influential artists walking God’s green earth today. Within the past five years, the Chicago icon has released three full-length albums, moved over 13 million units worldwide and won ten Grammy Awards. That is simply astonishing and the Louis Vuitton Don is just getting started.

Now he is on the verge of releasing the FIRST and ONLY independent album from his G.O.O.D. Music label to date as he and Malik Yusef present G.O.O.D. Morning & G.O.O.D. Night, which is available exclusively through 101 Distribution, releasing worldwide May 26th, 2009.

With Mr. West serving as the executive producer of Yusef’s sophomore set, G.O.O.D. Morning, G.O.O.D. Night is two-disc collection consisting of 30 emotional tracks with each song representing a distinctive 48-minute time period of the day.

“We talk about the circular aspect of life and how things are 360. The morning and night represents one full day cycle,” Yusef explains. “G.O.O.D. Morning shows the more light aspect and G.O.O.D. Night represents the more sullen aspect of life.”

“Magic Man” featuring Common, John Legend and Kanye West will serve as the leadoff single, and the album will feature collaborations with the finest recording artists in the music industry today including Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Cassidy, Carl Thomas, Jadakiss, Jennifer Hudson, KRS-One, Paul Wall, Twista and many more.

Malik Yusef, an accomplished Emmy, Grammy and Peabody award-winning poet, received acclaim within the music industry when he released his debut album The Greatest Chicago Fire – Cold Day In Hell back in 2003. He has also appeared on Russell Simmon’s Def Poetry Jam.

With the release of G.O.O.D. Morning, G.O.O.D. Night, Yusef is now only inches away from achieving his primary goal. “I just want to sneak my way into the soul of people and [I want] people to allow me to be apart of their lives,” he says. “I’m just asking permission into their existence, and [I’m using] the music as that vehicle.”

G.O.O.D. Morning, G.O.O.D. Night will be available at Best Buy, Target, iTunes on May 26th, 2009.

For more information or to pre-order G.O.O.D. Morning, G.O.O.D. Night, visit www.101d.com.

About 101 Distribution: 101 Distribution (Phoenix, Arizona) began shipping music and video titles to independent and commercial retail stores in November of 2001. Today, 101 Distribution manages the digital, mobile, retail and mail order sales for more than 2,000 touring artists and record labels worldwide. The company operates as the only distributor that offers artists a 100% payout for all net sales royalties in exchange for a flat monthly fee. 101 Distribution catalog titles can be found in 5,500 retail stores throughout the US, Canada and 8 major foreign territories as well as dozens of legal download and subscription sites.

101 Distribution
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T: 602-357-3288
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We Are Music Distribution.

Rebel of the Music Industry

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"Legendary record man, "Swervin'" Irving Azoff, once managed the mega-group the Eagles. During a tour at the height of their career, one California hotel was unable to provide adjoining suites for the "Hotel California" songwriters. Swervin' Irving drove to a hardware store, purchased a chainsaw, went to the hotel, and turned two seperate rooms into one suite by sawing down the wall between.

Being prudent and realizing that he would not be able to be there whenever the Eagles needed on-site remodeling, he had a carrying case made for the saw so that the group could take it on the tour with them.

Now that's hands-on management."

-Moses Avalon

2009-05-01

Mill Avenue To Revive Its Performance Roots

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The Tempe City Council plans to revive Mill Avenue’s entertainment-based history with a series of new events and venues that were described in Thursday’s meeting.
Nancy Hormann plans to begin “Music On Mill” every Thursday night with local musicians, street performers and a series of contests. “Everything will be highly visible to the public and they won’t have to seek performers,” Hormann said.
Music On Mill will have no admission fees and doesn’t require permits, only areas with accessible power outlets. Concerns of performing on private property were voiced to which Hormann replied, “we don’t need permits to do what everyone else is already doing.”
The Old Harkins Theater on Mill will be transformed into the Mill Avenue District Community Arts Project Theater. The MADCAP is said to include a dinner theater, live music, independent film screenings, meeting space and even an Arizona State University classroom location.
“Performers at the MADCAP will be available at a low admission price, and a percentage of ticket sales will be used to promote the theater,” Hermann said. “The only big cost will be electricity to run the theaters.”
In the past, Mill Avenue has gained negative press for empty storefronts. Many even blamed the downfall of Borders Bookstore on the minimal street traffic Mill was receiving.
A committee member commented that although Borders were going out of business all over the country, it was interesting to note that the one on Mill Avenue’s collapse was solely the street’s fault.
Hermann has created a contest to start this June for the best retail storefront. The winner will receive one-year free rent. This is to create interest in the retailers downtown.
Ideas are beginning to be sent in for the best design on an electrical box contest as well. The most creative submission will get the opportunity to paint an electrical box on Mill Avenue with their design.

2009-04-02

Where Are the Wild Things?

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Spike Jonze's three-year deep project, Where The Wild Things Are, has finally been previewed to eager fans of the popular 1963 children's story.
The movie has been labeled 'in production' since 2005 after Warner Brothers Pictures allegedly requested several modifications within the screenplay, citing some material as "too creepy." Clips of the film circulating the web generally support Jonze's creative gamble at a rendition while many critics still remain unconvinced.
The trailer released last week depicts an eye-popping representation of the book set to The Arcade Fire's "Wake Up." Viewers are caught up in the climactic track and visually stunning cinematography while failing to notice the lack of dialogue.
Where The Wild Things Are is an easy 30-page read, full of massive illustration and scare text. Can we expect the movie to be similar?
Clearly, the storyline had to be expanded and inflated to fill the average length of a film. Can fans trust Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers to deliver a satisfying description that doesn't stray far from the book's theme?
Critics have immediately flocked to the use of costumes for the wild things. Many believe that the muppet-like costumes rob the film of imagination or creativity contained in the book. The use of actors in costumes could be seen as am mature or groundbreaking, depending on who you ask.
While the focus still remains on the film itself, many have expressed concern in the use of an indie band's work to advertise a major motion picture. In the past, many independent artists have gained commercial success from their song making its way onto a movie soundtrack. Take for example The Moldy Peaches "Anyone Else But You." After the song's appearance in Juno, it progressively made it's way to the number on spot on iTunes after previously being unranked.
Are people being music snobs? Maybe. A friend of mine from my news writing class offered a highly sensible perspective. "When I hear artists that haven't gone mainstream yet I get a bit...protective," she explained. "I don't like paying for expensive concert tickets and prefer a more intimate and personal setting to enjoy my favorite bands."
This makes sense to me. Less personable areas don't exactly appeal and neither do tickets that cost more than a month's rent. In the case of Arcade Fire however, the band has already gained success and even a Grammy nomination for Funeral in 2005.
I personally think the song is a fantastic choice to lead viewers into the theater. I found out that oddly enough, Karen-O, lead singer of The Yeah Yeah Yeah's, is an ex-girlfriend of Spike Jonze. She was selected by him to score the movie single-handedly. The soundtrack has been reported to include songs written by her as well.

Do you think the movie will live up the hype? Watch the trailer here.
Stay tuned until Where The Wild Things Are is released in theaters on October 16, 2009.

2009-03-25

DJ CHUCK T: The Spokesperson Of Hip-Hop

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By Bear Frazer

While most deejays have a team behind them to push on a project, DJ Chuck T prefers to be a one man gang. Though the 26-year-old is widely considered one of the top mixtape deejays in hip-hop, thanks in part to his highly successful series Down South Slangin', he possesses a "do-it-yourself" mentality that has earned him more success than most in the business.

"I'm not a man. I'm a machine," he says with a laugh. "I personally mix, burn, assemble, box, and ship over 5,000 CDs a week all by myself. I have some help here and there from family and close friends, but that's only when I drop big CDs and I know I can't do all of that alone."

Originally, the machine, more commonly known by his tag "The Carolina King," didn't start out as a mixtape deejay. Chuck T started as a rapper who went on to release an album in 2001 and was a heartbeat away from signing with Sony before the situation turned sour. Soon thereafter, the Charleston, South Carolina native decided to try his hand at deejaying.

So far, the results have been staggering. Although the Carolinas have been an untapped market for talent, Chuck T developed a reputation for upping the careers of local artists with his mixtapes and even went outside his region to recruit some rap heavyweights for his Down South Slangin' series.

"Just 4 years ago, I was burning CDs on my mom's computer and cutting out paper CD covers with scissors," he says. "Now, I'm one of the top DJs in the world! Just thinking about it gives me chills!"

With a solid reputation and mixtape brand in his back pocket, Chuck T will not attempt to put the Carolinas on top. In this 101D.com exclusive, the 26-year-old talks about the future and the chilling career he built from the ground up.

101D.com: Mr. Chuck T ... when did you initially get involved in Hip-Hop?

Chuck T: It's hard to pinpoint exactly when I became involved in Hip-Hop because it's been apart of my life since birth. I remember my older brothers and I would pretend we were a rap group and my oldest brother would be the rapper, my middle brother would be the DJ, and they'd make me play with the Equalizer because there wasn't any other job for me (laughs).

101D.com: But didn't you start out rapping before becoming a DJ?

Chuck T: Mane, of course I started out rapping. I think pretty much everyone involved in Hip-Hop has at least experimented with rapping at one point in time. I was actually pretty successful too. I had an album come out in 2001 and was in the process of signing to Sony when things fell apart with the label I was signed to. That pretty much ended my thoughts of being a rapper. The grind is long, hard, and you have to invest a ton of money before you see a return. Then even after you drop an album, you may not see a return on your investment because the industry is so fickle. I decided to become a DJ after I saw that there was a need for people in that profession who actually gave a damn about the music they played and the people they supported. DJs are the gatekeepers of the music industry. Whoever we let into that gate automatically becomes the spokesperson for the Hip-Hop culture as a whole. If we let in wack artists, then people are going to run around and say Hip-Hop is dead. But if we let good quality artists in, then we'll continue to be the #1 selling genre of music. The fate of the Hip-Hop industry lies in us. I had to step in and protect that.

101D.com: So what was it like developing your name within the southeast region?

Chuck T: It was very hard. Being here in the Carolinas is like a gift and a curse. I didn't really have any real competition when I started out, but I'm also in a market that the music industry isn't really concerned about. It was hard to get music from labels and artists. It was even harder to get my CDs in stores because the storeowner and the public in general didn't understand the concept of the mixtape. I had to educate people in order to sell CDs. Once I got my area on lock it was still kind of hard to convince people from bigger cities that a mixtape DJ from South Carolina could compete. It's been a long, hard road, but I'm definitely living off the fruits of my labor now. I'm doing very well for myself.

101D.com: How were you able to get artists to jump on your mixtapes?

Chuck T: Publicity - that's the most important thing! I took advantage of every opportunity to get an interview and get in front of a camera that came my way. Nobody will ever buy your stuff if they don't know you exist. I had to make sure people knew who I was, what I looked like and what my product sounded like.

101D.com: Obviously, your most successful series is Down South Slangin'. We distribute the one you did with Jeezy. Anyways, when did you conceive the idea for this series and what was the mindset behind it?

Chuck T: When I first started doing CDs, the name of my series was "Ghetto Gangstas." From there, I changed it to "Shut the Club Down." Once I really started learning how to DJ, I wanted something to signify the fact that I was no longer a kid who just slapped some songs together on a CD and I decided I'd change the name. My favorite song is an old Fiend (from No Limit Records) track featuring Master P and UGK entitled "Hustlin'." There's a part in the chorus where Fiend says, "We're Down South Slangin'/Rollin' With These Hustlers/Trying Ta Get Rid Of All You Haters And You Bustas." I basically took my title from that and the rest is history!

101D.com: Back a couple of years ago, it seemed like a mixtape was truly something special as DJs used it not only to develop their name, but to break new artists. Nowadays, that doesn't happen as much. I'm sure you've been asked this quite a lot, but what's your take on the whole mixtape game right now?

Chuck T: I feel like the real DJs still make mixtapes that live up to the original purpose of what a mixtape is. It's the new and uneducated DJs that have pretty much messed things up. But the older DJs are to blame for that because they'd rather bash the younger generation than teach them. These younger DJs have no idea how to break records or set trends. They only know how to play what hot. That's why if you go to a mixtape website or store, you'll see 90% of the CDs have the same songs or concept. We – the DJs – are the reason why the hip-hop industry is in a slump right now. We've let people in suits and ties who know nothing about our culture come in an take over and dictate what's hot and what's not. If we don't do something quick then the outlook for hip-hop isn't that bright.

101D.com: So do these newer DJs bother you?

Chuck T: It used to, but as of right now I don't let it bother me. I'm so focused right now on doing me that I really don't pay too much attention anymore. One thing I'm definitely doing is trying to take some of these new DJs and teach them the game. That was something I never had. Too many older and established DJs would rather hate on the younger generation then pull them to the side and teach them the art form. I don't want to be in that category. I just joined a local DJ academy here in Charlotte called "With These Hands Mix." I'm coming on board to teaching the mixtape class. The website is www.wthands.com.

101D.com: Nice. You know, the Carolinas are often overlooked. With the exception of a few, namely Little Brother and Petey “Death Row” Pablo, there haven't been many cats who have signed to a major or received much coverage in the mainstream media. What will it take the Carolinas to change that?

Chuck T: I think we need to support ourselves and build up our own movement here. We need to travel to other parts of the Carolinas and really focus on building up our names in the places around us. Everyone here pretty much keeps to themselves and never leaves outside of their city to promote their product. And some of the ones who eventually get a name for themselves run to Atlanta, Miami, Houston, or New York rather than focusing on establishing a buzz in the next town over from them. The music industry follows movements. If you look at the artists that are hot right now and the artists that are getting major record deals, you see they're all from the same cities and they all came out as a movement. In order for the Carolinas to get our just due in the music world we have to support each other and start a movement right here in the Carolinas.

101D.com: Since you're the "Carolina King," what are your plans to put Carolina on top?

Chuck T: Right now, I'm forming the United Carolina Record Pool. That's going to be our outlet to get our music out to the masses and show the world that we can make music that's just as hot as any other place. I want make our music as accessible as possible! From there, I have my company Publicity Stunt, LLC. It's a marketing, management, and consulting company I've put together to help artists network with people in the music industry and make sure they're getting the proper advice about what route they should take with their music. And last but not least, I'm making myself more accessible to just about anybody making a move here. I understand that I have a name that's holds weight in the music industry and my co-sign means a lot. I want to make sure that I'm using that for the good of my states.

2009-03-23

SAMANTHA MACHADO: How Shyness Launched a Pop Singer's Career

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By Adam Bernard

Although it may sound a bit odd, pop singer Samantha Machado owes her career to her extreme shyness. Well, her extreme shyness and the one big fan who really wanted to hear her sing. That fan was her father. "He loves it when I sing and I would never sing in front of him," Machado explains. "He wanted me to record a couple songs for fun for him, just for the experience."

This led them to Wade Martin's studio. A fortuitous choice as Martin happens to be the president of WM Studios, which is a subsidiary of JWM Records. "I went to Wade's studio randomly," she remembers. "My dad just found him. I had a blast. I had so much fun and Wade was really interested in working with me." For Machado it wasn't exactly a hard sell.

According to Martin, Machado quickly became a "studio rat," spending almost all of her time there over the course of the next six months. The 18-year-old Sacramento, California transplant who had spent most of her childhood signing in choirs and taking private lessons was eager to prove she was more interested in demo tapes than the desert air of her home in Arizona.

Machado was finally seeing the culmination of a goal she'd had since she first saw The Sound of Music as a child: she was becoming a recording artist.

The Sound of Music may not sound like your normal starting point of inspiration for an 18-year-old, but for Machado it marked her entry into the world of singing. She readily admits, "That (movie) is probably why I started singing. It was the first musical I ever saw. I know every song. I still love it." Machado's own work, however, is of a decidedly different fare.

Colbie Caillat, Sheryl Crow and Mandy Moore are the type of artists Machado counts as her contemporaries, although she notes she might lean a little more toward a "poppy" feel. Her album, titled Myself, is autobiographical in a lot of ways. Machado says "it explains everything I go through and how I feel." What she has found is that she is not alone in her feelings. "A lot of my friends will listen to it and say 'I didn't know you felt that way, I feel the same way'," she continues. "So I feel like I relate a lot to girls my age."

The first single off of the album is the title track, "Myself," which Machado says is about "finding yourself and believing in yourself even though something bad might have happened. You owe it to yourself to be the person you are." She adds, "it's also about letting go and to accept you're letting go of things and just be happy, and if you are happy let people know."

One thing Machado has no plans of accepting is the cliché of the pop singer needing to also be a dancer with seemingly every movement she makes being tightly choreographed and backed by a professional dance team. "I don't really dance and I don't want to do that kind of thing," she explains. "With my music, I don't know if it would even look right."

Forget dancing. For Machado, her music has a much more important power - the ability to bring her out of her shell. "On stage I'm not very shy," she states with a newfound confidence. Ironically, had that been true earlier in her life, she may have never needed to find a studio to record that CD for her father and none of this may have ever happened.

2009-03-21

Lollapalooza 2009

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Rumors continue to fly as some rumored artists have already been leaked for the Lollapalooza 2009 lineup. Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys, Depeche Mode and Kings Of Leon have made headlines as potential performers for the three-day festival this August. Fans and critics have immediately labeled the 2009 festival as disappointing, claiming the lineup is a “bunch of over the hill acts” and “boring and unimaginative.”
The full Lollapalooza lineup is expected to be announced this April. Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane’s Addiction, has been organizing the event on and off since 1991, where the original lineup of the band kicked off the festival. A couple months later, the band broke up. They haven’t played since, making this appearance especially newsworthy. However, some have critiqued this decision stating that Farrell purposely chose bands less than him to push himself as the headliner. Others say that this choice is dull because Jane’s Addiction has already played the festival, and it won’t be interesting to constant attendees.
A band that hasn’t appeared on the program before, Depeche Mode, has been further analyzed as a “washed up” and “reunited” band that won’t appeal to the typically young adult audience. The 80s band seems a bit mismatched among the more recent chart toppers in attendance who target the college crowd. I personally wouldn’t underestimate their fan base, even if they have been around 30+ years. They still play sold out areas worldwide, what’s to say they can’t fill up an outdoor park? In their defense, co-headliners The Beastie Boys gained momentum in the 80’s and still go strong today.
The Beastie Boys played Lollapalooza in 1994, failing to excite long-time festivalgoers with their return. Because they are also playing Bonnaroo in June, I personally wonder if the reason Lollapalooza seems so weak this year is correlated to the fact that they get the leftovers of all the other festivals. Lollapalooza has the disadvantage of being the last festival of the season in August. Most of the other venues have already shocked audiences and announced reunions. Is it is possible for Lollapalooza to regain their title due to the competition?
Lollapalooza’s worst competition is its lineup of last year. Resurrecting Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails is no easy task, but they also created diversity with their lineup, adding prime time hip-hop players such as Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco. After this brilliant and fortunate pairing, can it be topped? Stay tuned…