Hard Announcements

March / April 2008

by Paul Autry

http://www.myspace.com/spotlight_music

As mentioned in the previous column, The 12th annual Millennium Music Conference will be held on February 14th-17th at the Radisoon Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Now, I've been going to the MMC for the past six years and I've always had a great time. I get to hang out with people that I don't get to see too often. I meet a lot of new people and, of course, there's a lot of great music and, the beauty of it all is the fact that the MMC features music of ALL styles. Now, I happen to be the kind of person who's into a little bit of everything. So, for me, the MMC is a wonderful event. The first time I went, I was like a kid in a candy store. There was so much to choose from and I was just all over the place. I tried to experience as much as I could. One year, I discovered a huge rap scene and I'm still meeting new people because of that. The second time I was there, I spent a lot of time at singer/songwriter style shows and I heard a lot of fantastic music that year. There was also a time when I went into the event with no set plan. I simply hung out on the trade floor during the day and if I would strike up a conversation with a band, I found out where they're playing and I would end up at their show later on in the evening. That worked out rather well. You see, the MMC is not just an event...it's an experience...and that experience is what you make it. I'm not really sure how I'm gonna work it this year. I don't really have a set plan. Although, at the time of this writing, there's a few shows that caught my attention. In order to get the most out of it, you really need to sit down and come up with some sort of schedule for yourself because, no matter how hard you try...you just can't get out to see everybody. There's just no way. But, if you do it right, you are able to see a good number of bands.

This year, we here at BallBusterMusic.com will have a table at the MMC. A lot of the artists who have been featured on this website and/or in this column have been kind enough to send us some material to hand out to you. We have a little bit of everything...DVD's, CD's, flyers, stickers, buttons, t-shirts...the whole nine yards. The artists mentioned below are the ones who sent in their stuff before this column was completed. So, not everyone is mentioned. Anyone who was left out will be mentioned in the next issue.

Almost every artist that's mentioned here, I went on to their MySpace page and simply copied their bio and pasted it below. Since that's the first thing you see when you go to these pages, I thought it would be best to present the bands to you the way they present themselves. That's what you're gonna see when you come to the Ballbuster table and I figured that's what you should see when you read through this issue. It's all about exposure, right?

However, before we get into that, I'd like to start off with an interview I did with Jim Fetzer of Fetzer Management and C&B Booking. I've been to a few shows that he's hand a hand in putting together and they were all good experiences. Since he's working with the MMC this year, I thought it would be a good way to kick this issue off. Before you read how that conversation went, be sure to check out the MMC website and MySpace page. Everything you need to know about this event can be found there.

http://www.MMC12.com
http://www.myspace.com/millenniummusicconference

Paul Autry: How did you get involved in the music business?

Jim Fetzer: Okay, that's a good question. I actually got involved in the music business in the late 80's. I used to be an on air personality in Philidelphia.

Paul Autry: You lied about your age to get that gig.

Jim Fetzer: Yes, I did. I then moved to the Hershey area, where a family friend of mine who had actually worked in radio got me a job there at WCTX 92.1. His name is Scott Donato and he's still an on air personality for a country station. Before that...I mean...music has always been important in my life. I remember growing up, my mom was very eclectic in her music tastes. My great uncle who, at one time, owned for radio stations and four tv stations out in Detroit. He also owned the Detroit Tigers. So, the family's always been musically interested I guess you could say. Having some involvement one way or another. So, what happened was, I got out of radio and joined the army back in 1990. I got into sales...automotive and so forth. Anyway, I went to Ray Rossi's birthday party last year and, while there, I ran into two friends of mine, John and Matt of S.O.S. I've known them for about 18 years. They told me how they were in a band. I knew Matt, like I said, for about 18 years and I also knew his father, he worked for me years earlier. I said, well, if I can ever do anything to help you, give me a call. They called about three weeks later and I started booking them shows and giving them career advice, business advice and so forth. By the time February had rolled around, they had been on me to start a company. They said I should help other bands. After I thought about it, I said okay. The month of February came and they had 18 shows that month including a showcase for the MMC. It was right before then that I decided to start the company.

Paul Autry: So you're still somewhat fresh in this whole thing?

Jim Fetzer: Oh, yeah. Anyway, I remember we went to the Harrisburg music awards at the ABC Brewery and I remember seeing these guys running around with painted faces. Well, it turns out that, at MMC, I end up talking to Ralph again and he gives me his CD and says that he'd really like to work with me. I took the CD home and I listened to it. I came back and told 'em that I'm in. I wanted to work with them. They were the second artist to come on board...right there at the MMC.

Paul Autry: For the people who don't know who we're talking about, that would be 7th Layer.

Jim Fetzer: Right, exactly, 7th Layer. From there, I started to book shows. Bands would approach me about management or bookings. The management company has really grown. I get solicitations from bands overseas and from the States as far west as California. So, what ended up happening was, through growing pains and so forth, and attending every music conference there is. Right after I launched the company and attended the MMC, the following month, I'm at SXSW and I make two annual trips a year to California, keeping my friends and contacts with venues alive and strong. The company just ended up growing and growing and growing and I sat there and said, well, it looks like a lot of bands, more than anything, need guidance and booking. So, in November, I launched a booking agency. One of our very first clients outside of the management company ended up being The Drama Club from Pennsylvania. Now, we have a very strong relationship with Shallow Bay, which are the distributors for Breaking Benjamin. We're handling artists mainly from the state of Pennsylvania. There's a couple from New York.

Paul Autry: And you're based in Pennsylvania, correct?

Jim Fetzer: Correct. The home office is right here in Pennsylvania and my business partner is in Dallas, Texas.

Paul Autry: So, how do you go from being one guy to having six other people working for you?

Jim Fetzer: Well, I met Heather at the MMC. She's actually a student of Berkley School Of Music. Her ambition is to start a publishing company. She's a personal friend and a consultant and advisor for the company. I bounce a lot of bid ideas off of her and we share a lot of thoughts on how to make the company grow and so forth. Kristie Grey, I brought on as an administrative assistant and recently promoted her to the role of vice president because I needed her more to...I needed to be able to give her certain responsibilities and know that she would get them done. Ralph Kohr, an artist with 7th Layer...he's not posted on our MySpace page as staff, but, he is a staff member. He oversees a lot of the stuff that I like to do with the rap and hip hop. He books one of the rooms that I'm under contract with to provide entertainment for and that would be Cameron Street Cafe. So now we have a venue, to my knowledge, since the closing of the Metron, is the only venue in the history of Harrisburg that caters to rap, hip hop and R&B and giving that side of the music industry at least some sort of location where they can perform and build their fanbase. I'm very proud of that. Then there's Tim down in Maryland. He came to me. He had a struggling company that was helping a lot of eastern shore bands. Through conversations, he asked to be on staff and I interviewed him quite extensively. We brought him on staff to assist on things in the eastern shore of Deleware and Maryland. Chris Williams was another gentleman in the Maryland area doing band promotions, booking and marketing. After we had talked, he folded his company and came on board. So, I'm honored to have those guys on staff. Amanda, our PR advisor, is a recent graduate of West Chester University, where she studied public relations. She's in charge of getting the bands press, media and so forth and she also assits with Ashley, who heads up the promotions side, which basically consists of MySpace and street teaming, handing out flyers.

Paul Autry: I came to know you through the rap artists that you help. Although, I noticed that you help out a wide variety of musical styles and it's not just rap. Now, do you actually like the music you promote or is it more, you see a band that, maybe you're not into their style, but, you can help 'em out anyway.

Jim Fetzer: So, is it money or is it passion?

Paul Autry: Yeah, that's a good way to ask it.

Jim Fetzer: To be honest with you, it's both. Everything is generated by money. If I like the music and I feel that I can sell that music and help that music, that's when you look at the money side of it. But, I have to like it first. There's one style of music that I've never really been into. But, I can see that there's a need for it and that's the screamo/hardcore metal. As it turns out, somebody who has been very influential in my life in music and getting to know bands was my mom's old boyfriend, Bob Kerly, who I mention in my bio on the business page. His nephew is actually in a band that we're now working with and that band is Until We Meet. So, we do work with everything from singer/songwriter all the way up to your hardcore metal and everything in between. Most of the roster is alternative and rock and not anything heavier than that. The company, we recently...outside of doing Cameron Street Cafe, we also are an assistant booking agent for The Waterway in York, Pennsylvania. We also brought original music back with a venue called Rumors, which you've been to.

Paul Autry: Yeah. I like that place.

Jim Fetzer: Formally known as The Playground. In it's heyday, a lot of the bands that came out of Central Pennsylvania have played there. So, I approached them and said that I wanted The Playground back. So, they allow me to host original Thursdays there, where bands can build their fanbases. That venue, on Thursdays, for those original dates, will be 18 plus. So, it's almost an all age venue now as well.

Paul Autry: Say there's another band coming from out of state. Can they contact you?

Jim Fetzer: Absolutely. Last year, when we started, we had bands from Virgina, Maryland, New York City...as far away as Florida...who came there to perform. We do advertise through MySpace as well as the PA Musician. So, we're trying to get the word out, to let people know that, if you're not doing anything on a Thursday, you can come see some local talent...and some of those bands are even signed to some prominent indie labels.

Paul Autry: When you have a band from out of state and/or one that doesn't have an audience in this area, is it harder for you to pull a crowd in and how do you go about getting those people there?

Jim Fetzer: Well, the thing is, we're very band friendly. The bands that we work with, we have good relationships with or we develop a good relationship with them. The bands that we put on the bill for local support have the understanding that they were supported in coming through our community, they would return the favor when we come through theirs. So, it's basically a very friendly gig swap if you will.

Paul Autry: Are you looking to expand your roster?

Jim Fetzer: On the management side...I think the management side will always have about 15 or so artists. On the the entertainment/booking side, that really depends on how the industry continues to move towards the independent musician and band. We're seeing a drop off with the cover bands and the attendance of their shows and we're seeing a larger demand for the independent musician. It's the independent musician that ends up hitting a certain point in their career...they end up getting their music on the radio, which the cover bands play.

Paul Autry: What would you say to a band who might approach you for management?

Jim Fetzer: Well, on the management side, a lot of bands feel that just because they're a band, they need management or that management will help them get more shows and that's just not the case. As a band in need of management, the first thing is, you have to have something to manage. If you need a consultant to help guide you, to help you get to that size, we can offer consulting. So, I think the first part is that a band should obiously research the role of a manager and be honest with themselves. It's one thing to have confidence and know that, hey, you've got something that deserves to be heard. But, it's another thing to try to shortcut too soon. You can't just walk into the music business and, the next thing you know, you have 50 gigs. You have to be able to bring people. If you can't bring people to a show, nobody's gonna want you and you're not gonna make any money...and, as a manager, we obviously don't work for free. So, you have to have something that needs managed. That's the number one thing...to know what you need as far as a manager, what do you need a manager to do? A lot of times...and you should also know some industry lingo. For example, I get messages from bands all the time that are choppy and there's no introduction. I recall a young rapper who sent me a message that said, "Hey Fetz management. What do we be needin' to get down with some managements?" I basically said, "Forward me a press kit" and his response was, "What's a press kit?" So, I think some people really need to educate themselves on the music business and not just think, "Hey, I got a talent. Now I need to be the next big thing." Bands and artists need to understand that this is a business. They need to look at it as a business. There's a time when you can be as street or thug or improper as you wanna be, when you're in your element. But, when you get into the business element, you have to be business.

Paul Autry: Since you mentioned press kits...and I'm sure you've gotten this kind of message from a band...they get in touch and they tell you to check out their MySpace page or what have you instead of sending an actual press kit. What would you say to that?

Jim Fetzer: The press kit has taken on a new dimension with the age of the internet. A physical press kit is always nice, it's nice to see the thought and how much attention to detail the band has when putting one together. The online or electronic press kits are just as good. But, the thing about it is..a band...if you're gonna send a press kit or even if it's just a CD for review. Look at the way that you're presenting your product. If you send over junk, you're going to be percieved as junk. If you send over something nice that you've invested some of your time and money in, you're gonna be taken more seriously. Anyone can put a CD into their computer and burn a disc. But, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it. It's sad because there is some great music out there and some bands just wanna do it their way and they don't take the time to invest in their own career other than to play. There's events...like the MMC...that offers so much information about every aspect of this industry...from bookings to legal to copyright information to everything under the sun. Duplication, merchandise, everything...and the sad part is to see that bands don't just fill those things to get that information. Because, for the most part, if you look at it, the average registration fee is maybe $30 and, for that price, you're getting thousands of dollars worth of information...that's a small trade off and it's just sad to see that a lot of the bands aren't investing in the business side.

Paul Autry: Yeah. At the MMC, which is a great place to network, I've seen a lot of bands who will walk around and hand out their CD. But, they don't take the time to talk to people.

Jim Fetzer: Exactly. You have to network and you have to communicate. Nobody meets anybody without first saying hello. That's one reason that John Harris, the founder of the MMC, asked me to assist as showcase director this year.

Paul Autry: I wanna gonna ask you how that all came about.

Jim Fetzer: That was ironic how that all came about. John and I...we're not rivals. But, obviously, we're both business men, in the music business, here in Central Pennsylvania, and we've shared our professional differences. We were both in Philidelphia for the Independent Music Conference and we paneled together and it was shortly after that when John propositioned me with taking on the showcase directors position and I was honored and flattered.

Paul Autry: What does your job require you do?

Jim Fetzer: My job for MMC includes contacting the venues, getting them on board and making sure that they have what they're gonna need for hosting artists for the MMC, such as sound. Then we have to market ourselves to the bands to get the word out. Get the bands to say they want to or don't want to participate, get them to submit. Then what we do, is we go through their physical press kits, the MySpace pages, Sonicbids and, via process, see if they fit or if they don't fit. If they're up and coming, if you see growth or if you see activity. A lot of bands, like I said, just because they have a good sound, they think they can play a music conference and get signed and that's just not the case. We're looking for bands that are working hard not hardly working. From there, once they're selected, we send them a notice to let them know that they've been selected. We give them a few days to confirm their attendence and, once they confirm that they're going to attend, we try to match the artist with the venue and we try to put in enough local talent around them because, obviously, if you travel all the way from California or Texas to play a music conference and played to nobody because the only people that played the room were from out of town, that nobody knew, that would be very disappointing to you as an artist. It would also give the conference a bad name. So, what we try to do is surround our out of town visitors with our local brothers in the music business. That way, they're at least playing to somebody.

Paul Autry: How much time out of your day is devoted to putting this thing together?

Jim Fetzer: Well, my average day begins around 11:30 in the afternoon and it runs to around 7:00 a.m. In that time, I go through three cordless phones and sometimes two cell phones a day. My time is invested on the phone and on the internet. It's a full day because, on top of the management and booking agency, the MMC, the three venues that we book for...between it all...it's a full time job. I believe in plan your work and work your plan. Whatever you don't finish today has to be the first thing you start doing tomorrow.

Paul Autry: One of the bands that I like to help out...and you do as well...Witches In Bikinis.

Jim Fetzer: The Witches In Bikinis. Yes. Julie and Bill Rozar, out of New York City. I met them at the MMC last year. I was able to give some good advice to Julie, the manager. I guess you can say that I'm a personal friend and a professional consultant for the Witches. I helped and actually designed their MySpace page for them to give it some life. Julie and the girls will call with ideas. They keep me in the loop. I guess you could say I'm a sounding board for them sometimes. I did bring them here, they performed with 7th Layer at Rumors and they really enjoyed it.

Paul Autry: I did as well. That was a really great show.

Jim Fetzer: They're a very large, theatrical group, with the five to six girls and then the three to four piece band. It's a big under-going. But, they are great and they're doing a lot of good things. As a matter of fact, their music is actually on a little video that's being featured on YouTube. I know they've done a parade. I've very proud of them, they've come a long way and I'm very happy to be a part of their organization if you will.

Paul Autry: Going in a different direction, there's something I wanted to ask you. I noticed on your MySpace page that you mention you have a guitar. Were you ever a musician?

Jim Fetzer: I was a struggling, wanna be, desired musician. I had a few guitars at one time. My brother used to play and I used to play on this little Peavy amp and we used to jam to Metallica and Led Zepplin in our room. But, I never got into a full fledged band. I just really enjoyed playing.

Paul Autry: So, there's no Jim Fetzer recordings floating around out there?

Paul Autry: What are your thoughts on file sharing?

Jim Fetzer: In the terms of physical product...the need for physical product is probably gonna drop to about 80% of what products and merchandise are in the next five years or so. It's already on its way there. It's been on its way there for the past several years. I attended the music policy summit in Washington DC and this was a topic of concern. Some critics will say that music will ultimately be free and I can really see it going there. With the surge of the internet, it makes it possible to get your music out there. You can be from Pennsylvania and someone from Australia could listen to your stuff. I think file sharing is important depending on the stage that you're at. If you're at the begining stage, you can't be greedy and say you wanna keep it all and sell it and make money. To some degree, you have to give it away. That's how that word of mouth spreads. You're seeing more and more of these downloadable cards and Itunes and all that. It used to be...we'd have to buy a CD for $16 with ten tracks on 'em and you'd like, maybe, three of them. Now, bands will know what songs their fans like based on the downloads. So, there's a lot of things that bands need to look at when it comes to getting their music out there. You don't wanna give it away. But, in some cases, you need to. You gotta look at what it is. With bands that are being creative and they're writing new material all the time, your catalog becomes inundated and the only way you're gonna spread the word is to give it away. If you can play a show for free then you can give a song away for free. Maybe that one person you gave that song to will give it to ten other people who will ultimately become fans...and true fans will buy the product.

Paul Autry: That's how I am. I'll download an album that I want...just to hear it. But, I'll want an original copy.

Jim Fetzer: Right.

Paul Autry: I know you travel a lot. On your MySpace page, there's some pictures of you with people like Al Sharpton and Bridget Neilson. Is that part of the business or was that something you kind of just stumbled into?

Jim Fetzer: It's something that...again...the days of radio, you're always meeting people and doing things and it does tie in to what we do as a company, being in entertainment. There's people that I've met along the way. There are people that I've stumbled upon. The picture with Bridget Neilson was taken during one of my trips to L.A. She was having dinner with her husband and two of her friends from Pittsburgh...one of which I've know of and they've known of me. So, it was kind of a unique situation.

Paul Autry: What do you hope to accomplish in this business?

Jim Fetzer: My goal? You know, I get asked that quite a bit and I tell people that, obviously, it's not about the money. I'm not doing this to make millions. I told this to Rolling Stone Magazine that, if and when a Behind The Music or a Where Are They Now are ever done and I'm featured, I'll know I made it. Just helping and seeing the joy that comes from helping a band achieve their goals is a huge reward. Recently, I was contacted by a high school junior who's career goals are to be in the music business, a music manager and/or tour manager. She had contacted me about shadowing me and I was the basis for her entire school report. I was very honored for that opportunity because of the fact that young people need to be supported. I had an opportunity...one of the bands that I manage and work with, the Suicide Puppets, were scheduled to play direct support for The Misfits. I invited this young girl and her family to come out and shadow me for the evening to give her a taste of what it takes to be a music manager. That was probably one of the single largest honors that I've had.

Paul Autry: Final comments?

Jim Fetzer: The one thing is...you can NEVER give up if you have a goal and if you have a dream. There's a lot of competition out there and you have to come up with something different and you have to have some foundation and morals and a good plan. Like I said...plan your work and work your plan. Anything can be achieved through hard work. Don't sell out and stay true to yourself.

http://www.myspace.com/cbbooking http://www.myspace.com/fetzermusicmanagement

Rew. What can one say about this magical, mystical force of nature bringing her own unique style and vision to the world? Through her amazing music, poetry and spirit, Rew goes where the muse guides her, bringing energy to musical endeavors...whether through bands RewBee and The Dirty Mothers...or her dynamic solo project. Rew has often been called “a ‘female Lou Reed'” and has graced the stage with many of her inspirations, including Regina Spektor, Joey Ramone, Patti Smith, David Johanson, Murphy's Law, BETTY, The Spin Doctors. Her latest release, "that*S*rite," has received rave reviews and grabbed tons of industry attention. “This is what you moved to NYC for...” says Donna Gaines (Village Voice). Songs from "that*S*rite" are in rotation on Genya Ravan's radio show "Chicks & Broads" on Little Steven’s Underground on Sirius Radio. Her song "u suck" is featured this season in the television series the '"Bad Girls Club" on the Oxygen Network, "u persued me" recently won in the Atlas Muti Media contest. Rew is an active supporter of her fellow musicians, and a core organizer and performer for the Girls Rock Girls Rule Tour and MAMAPALOOZA. Rew performs regularly in her hometown of NYC and has also performed at world-renowned festivals like SXSW, CMJ, and Jazzfest & many more.

http://www.myspace.com/rewwalsh

Husband/wife team, Tish (lead vocals, guitar) and Tony Meeks (guitar) launched 3 Kisses in Austin, TX, in January 2004 and since that time the band has released 3 CDs, performed hundreds of live shows and played for crowds as large as 50,000. Tish and Tony were recently featured on ABC’s ‘Wife Swap’ performing for close to 15 million viewers.

3 Kisses jumps from one high energy style to another with traces of just about every cool female-fronted rock band of the last 20 years. 3 Kisses’ live performance has been called ‘freakin’ explosive’ and Tish Meeks has been referred to as ‘a ball of fire on stage.’ An idiosyncratic combination of alternative, pop, rock and punk filled with catchy guitar hooks and introspective lyrics, the heartfelt vocals and positive party vibe make the songs of 3 Kisses addicting. Tumultuous lyrics delivered in a zany, upbeat fashion have become a 3 Kisses trademark.

In addition to their regular tour schedule, 3 Kisses supports breast cancer research by performing at Susan G. Komen Races and Relay for Life events and donating a portion of their CD sales to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the American Cancer Society. Tish’s original story, Legacy, about the loss of her mother to breast cancer, appeared in Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen’s Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul in December 2004.

http://www.myspace.com/3kisses

Granddaughter of a trucker and a coal miner, Emily Zuzik hails from Southwestern Pennsylvania. She gave her first public performance singing Dolly Parton's "9 To 5" to her fifth grade religion class in Catholic school. By eighth grade, she was performing original work in front of her school. From this encouragement, she began composing original songs and performing publicly in high school and college. And the rest, as we say, is history.

Last year, Emily released her second album, "You Had Me At Goodbye", produced with Joshua Kessler at Bushwick Studio (The Bravery, Justin Tracy). Two CD Release Parties to packed rooms in September 2006, Thursday Sept. 7th at NYC's rock haven Piano's and Friday, Sept. 15th at San Francisco's indie-rock club, The Make-Out Room, cemented Emily's place in the rock scene. Both events received praise and essential preview listings in The Village Voice and San Francisco Chronicle, respectively.

A proud Epiphone Guitars endorsed artist and 2005 calendar girl, Emily released her debut solo album, The Way it's Got to Be, in February 2003, which received praises from NYC's The Village Voice and Time Out, as well as Performing Songwriter Magazine's Top DIY Picks, November 2003. Emily's song "That's the Way" was a semi-finalist in the JANE Magazine Readers compliation in 2004, and also appeared as one of IGN for Men's "Babe of the Day".

She has performed on bills with such esteemed performers as an alias-bearing Norah Jones, The Silos (Bloodshot Records), Leslie Mendelson (RYKO), Jon Dee Graham (New West Records), Jolie Holland (ANTI) and 80s teen pop icon Tiffany.

Emily has performed both solo and with many bands including LES supergroup AKI is the Glue, acoustic roots rockers Sexfresh, Babes with Beats, the Burning Man phenomenon Funkmobile, 70s classic rock tribute group Southern Frost and San Francisco WAMMIE-awarded Shitty Shitty Band Band. Additionally, she has contributed backing vocals for Marwood, Ari Hest, Leslie Mendelson, The Wingmen, Will Hawkins, Tom Glynn and Pi. She plays regularly in the NYC scene and tours annually.

Emily is also a co-conspirator in the electronica project, mz., with bassist/producer Tim LeFebvre; a cowriter with Benji Rogers of Marwood; featured singer and cowriter with Sizzlax of London's Dojo Studios; and singer with AKI is the Glue.

Emily's also active in the woman's music community as a performing member of Indiegrrl and NYC's Womanrock collectives. She was also the Events Coordinator for showcases and special events of Womanrock.com. She is also co-founder of sirenswildride, a nationally touring collective of female singer-songwriters.

Emily's songs have been featured on Alice Artist Spotlight on 97.3 FM in San Francisco, KUSF's "Diva Radio" 90.3 FM San Francisco, KOOP's "Soul Talk Radio with Chuck Freeman," and KUT's "Femme FM." The video for her song "Try a New Line on Me" airs regularly on the Austin Music Network and aired nationally on the Trio Network to over 18 million households.

http://www.myspace.com/emilyzuzik

It should not come as a surprise that Arizona resident guitarist/singer/composer/self-producer Steve Cone likes to keep busy. Unlike the all “do it yourself” exercise that was Distortion, Cone has this time utilized the talents of one Erik Fehrenbach, providing drum duties, which this time around packs more punch. Other than that, though, it's all Cone again, cooking up Heavy Metal in his home studio. Cone certainly knows what he wants and he doesn’t seem to need a lot of help to make it happen.

The rocking attitude and Cone's playing abilities help the matter, but the strength of the songs themselves is where the enjoyment of Cone's music ultimately lies. Hard-driven, but never bombastic, often clever, but certainly not indulgent, the music of Steve Cone witness of days gone by. Imagine a soundtrack to accompany scenery of dirty rainy streets. Imagine a possible metalized-version of April Wine, complete with imagery of shady, smoky clubs with ripped apart Anvil posters on the sweaty walls.

There you have it; Steve Cone, working up a steam on stage with his street-smart, rocking metal. Indeed, material such as “Your Eyes” and the stomping Metal of “Killing Machine” carry this point across perfectly. “Get Down” is pure sex-cheese. But things get back on the right track with “Nothing That I Can Do,” an utter cool guitar rhythm and a catchy chorus makes it arguably the best track on offer here. “Trapped” is good old instrumental Rock, and “Crazy Like Me” stands toe to toe, yet in contrast to the likes of “Inside Your Head" and “Euphoria.”

Forget for a while music which lacks driving riffs and features whiny-ass vocals that are presented as Rock today, or whatever lame stupidity chart poo your inconsiderate co-workers may insist on punishing your ears with during long days, accompanied by mainstream radio. In My Bones represents almost a parallel world in 2007 away from mainstream, a world of other priorities and values, and where downloading is still an unknown phenomena.

Slightly heavier than Distortion, In My Bones still feels varied, yet surprisingly coherent at the same time. Steve Cone doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but at least he reminds the listener how to Rock

http://www.myspace.com/stevecone

Cookie Cutter Girl, 21st Century Pop Superhero, packs her "Girl Power Pop" with a PUNCH! "Cutter" is freeing women everywhere from the "mold" in which society holds them captive . "POWER PUFF GIRLS meets KISS at CBGBs!" Are *you* a 'cookie cutter' girl ... or did you break the mold? Look out boys ... this is Guitar Rock with GIRL POWER delivered by a shy singer/songwriter turned Girl Power Goddess! Meet her at: http://www.CookieCutterGirl.com & DOWNLOAD 3 FREE MP3S.

Cookie Cutter Girl has seven songs off her debut CD, "Cookie Cutter Gir,l" on 30 plus internationally released CD's on 500 plus radio stations.

http://www.myspace.com/cookiecuttergirl3

Complex is first word that comes to mind when considering Hollywood based Australian artist and producer Gilli Moon: songs of being a child by an all woman chanteuse, a singular warrior over the industry who remains quietly sensitive, and a dynamic performance artist who paints as brilliantly as she sings. - JeffBuckley.com

Gilli Moon is a singer, songwriter, recording artist, visionary, entrepreneur, author, and just about anything else this spirited Aussie puts her agile mind to! gilli's restless creativity and rebellious nature constantly drive her to push the envelope - in the recording studio; when performing on stage; with her record company, Warrior Girl Music, or indeed wherever she chooses to place her immeasurable energy. gilli moon is the quintessential renaissance woman and has become a beacon for her musical integrity, inspiring artists around the world, and for her extensive and ceaseless contribution to the creative and artist community at large. First and foremost she is an artist. Well-known for her dynamic live music performances that have touched music lovers worldwide and garnered high praise from the most jaded of critics, gilli is an energetic poly-media artist with now 4 multi-faceted studio albums to her credit. Ever the chameleon in artistry and thought, gilli creates music that is always fresh, passionate, edgy and unique. I-tunes has been unable to classify her! She stands alone.

http://www.myspace.com/gillimoon

I have yet to see The Majestic Twelve write a description of their musical style. So, I guess I have to come up with something on my own here. I did, however, see their debut release described as indie folk-rock-pop with a hard edge and incredible hooks. I'm listening to their 2nd release, "Schizophrenology" right now and, quite honestly, I'm at a loss for words. Their music is so all over the place that it's really hard to come up with a description that would do them justice. It's just better to say that they have a sound that's all their own and once you start to listen...you can't stop until the last track is done. It's quite a musical rush, that's for sure. They sent us a few CD's for you. So, some of you will be able to get your fix.

http://www.myspace.com/themajestictwelve

The Great Kat was born Katherine Thomas in Swindon, England (on a U.S. Air Force Base Military Hospital) and moved to the U.S at the age of 3. After listening to Beethoven since birth, The Great Kat realized that her mission was to become a composer and musical revolutionary. Kat began Classical piano studies at 7. At the age of 9, she began Classical violin studies in New York.

At the age of 15, The Great Kat won a Full Scholarship to attend the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City as a Violin Student. The Great Kat became the Concertmaster of the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra and won the "Robert Hufstader Scholarship" in Theory at Juilliard. The Great Kat graduated with Honors from The Juilliard School and began performing, first as a Classical violin soloist at Carnegie Recital Hall as winner of the exclusive "Artists International Competition" and then soloing extensively in Mexico, the U.S. and Europe.

After touring the world, The Great Kat realized that Classical music was dead, so she began updating Classical Music with Speed Metal and transcribed intricate violin solos to the guitar. Kat developed a new genre of music: “SHRED/CLASSICAL” Music. Fast, Furious and Virtuosic.

The Great Kat is the only musician taking note for note, authentic Classical Music scores (from Vivaldi, Beethoven, Bach, Wagner, Liszt, Paganini, Sarasate, Bazzini, Rossini and more) and entering the original Classical Music scores into music notation software. The Great Kat then edits, arranges, and orchestrates the entire scores with Shred Guitar virtuosity and mixing it with Speed Metal band and Classical orchestra. The Great Kat’s music is known worldwide for its phenomenal speeds, complicated Classical motives, counterpoint layering, guitar riffs, maniacal screams, heavy rhythms and thrashing sounds. Known as the “High Priestess of Guitar Shred,” The Great Kat was recently awarded the "Top 10 Fastest Shredders of all Time," by Guitar One Magazine and "The 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes" by Classic Rock Magazine.

The Great Kat's SHRED/CLASSICAL MUSIC is continuing to spread to all aspects of entertainment with the FIRST Shred/Classical music ever heard in a Hollywood Movie, The Great Kat’s Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody #2,” featured on Jason Bunch’s new comedy film “COMING ATTRACTIONS”. The Great Kat recently captivated audiences and performed on NBC TV's "WEEKEND TODAY IN NY" as The "World's Fastest Female Guitarist" on the virtuoso showpieces "The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee" and Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody #2.

The NEW upcoming Great Kat Shred DVD and CD will feature "The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee" (performed by Kat at 300 BPM!), Paganini's insanely technical "Caprice #24" and Bach's famous Baroque Masterpiece "Brandenburg Concerto #3" for 6 Shred Guitars, 3 Violins, Chamber Orchestra and metal band.

The Great Kat was kind enough to give us a few copies of her "Extreme Guitar Shred" DVD's to hand out. They're for geniuses only. If you think you can handle what The Great Kat has to offer, be sure to come see us and we'll energize your brain for you...thanks to The Great Kat!

http://www.greatkat.com

Finally, as mentioned before, Witches In Bikinis will be at the table and I'm sure they'll have a lot of great stuff for you. Make sure you stop by and say hello to them. They're all really great people...very friendly...and, if you're looking for more than a conversation, be sure to check out the MMC website and MySpace page that was listed above because Witches In Bikinis will also be performing...and, believe me, that's one show that you don't want to miss. Also, if you go to the Voice Of The Underground section of this website, you can read our interview with Witches In Bikinis founder Bill Rozar.

http://www.witchesinbikinis.com
http://www.myspace.com/billrozar
http://www.myspace.com/witchesinbikinis

« January / February 2008