INDIE NEWS BEAT 
April 5, 2006 Edition
* Brian Rolland Announces The Release Of His Latest CD "Dreams Of Brazil"
* Jen Elliot Rocks The House With "This Damn Song"
* After His Triumph At MIDEM 2006, Selasee Is Invited To MUSEXPO 2006 in Hollywood
* Go To Town On Great Island Vibes With Kobo Town And I.an.Eye
* MusicDish Partners with Music Discovery Network For Exposure & Distribution
* Lareau Sings About Changes On New Release
* Help Indiana Save the Bunny This Easter!
* Airplay Direct And The Guru Project Announce Strategic Partnership
* TagWorld Announces Five Los Angeles Area Billboard Contest Winners
Brian Rolland, accomplished musician and composer masterfully blends folk, jazz, flamenco, classical and Latin flavors on Dreams Of Brazil (
).
Dreams Of Brazil is garnering International praise from radio with airplay spanning the US , Europe and Japan. Dreams Of Brazil features a spirited Rolland with sheer musical relaxation and radiance. The CD has received a warm welcome from radio and fans who have eagerly awaited the newest release since 2001 when Brian released his last work Long Night's Moon. (On Full Moon)
With a BA in Music Theory and Composition and Classical influences Brian's musical journey Dreams Of Brazil triggers a wave of global success with the CD making it's debut at #54 on the New Age Reporter radio airplay chart in February 2006 . www.newagereporter.com
Brian recently contributed music from Dreams Of Brazil to a Worldvision documentary which is a project to help feed the children of Haiti.
Brian is exploring possibilities of creating Dreams Of Brazil into a dramatic work for the stage.
Dreams Of Brazil Instrumental; infectious Brazilian rhythms.
Brian Rolland -guitar
John Lockwood base
Bob Weiner drums/percussion
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Jen Elliot Rocks The House With "This Damn Song"
City Canyons Records announces with great pride the arrival of Jen Elliott and Bluestruck's soulful and hard-hitting new EP, This Damn Song, formally released by City Canyons on April 4, 2006.
Manhattan based Jen Elliott and her band Bluestruck deliver a wicked mixture of pop, blues and straight up rock that is nothing but pure emotion. She is "a 21st century siren" and her energy shines from inside each and every song...vivid, honest and seductive. Raised on traditional gospel in Jacksonville, Florida, Jen still writes and sings straight from her soul.
All this is wonderfully apparent in her new EP, This Damn Song, now available exclusively on CD Baby and at the City Canyons Records Online Store. The EP is an exciting prequel to an extraordinary full length album, 8 DAYS DOWN, coming out in the fall of 2006. New material from Jen and her band have been early awaited since her November 2003's debut album, The Secret's Out ().
The album, backed by Jen's incredible band, Bluestruck, received Top 30 college, indie and international radio airplay and critical acclaim by the press in North America as well as the global media. Jen has been featured in issues of Entertainment Today, The Sun Herald, Inside Connection, and Keyboard Magazine.
Jen and her frequent songwriting partner on "The Secret's Out", Bluestruck guitarist Anne Husick, were also recognized in 2004 by the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in their prestigious New Writers Showcase.
Release of This Damn Song will be supported by an April/May 2006 tour of the Northeast by Jen and Bluestruck to be followed by a Fall 2006 tour in support of 8 Days Down, a tour where she will be joined by such extraordinary talents as The Alrights and The Velmas. More details to come!
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After His Triumph At MIDEM 2006, Selasee Is Invited To MUSEXPO 2006 in Hollywood
After being selected for the famous international MIDEM 2006 Buzz Bands Showcase competition in Cannes, Selasee has been invited to the prestigious MUSEXPO that will be held in Hollywood, California, from April 30th to May 3rd, 2006. Selasee will showcase with his Montreal band at the renowned Viper Room, where several international artists have performed since the club's opening in 1993.
Originally from Ghana, Selasee suddenly became a star when his song "Run" was chosen by Electronic Arts for the FIFA 2006 soccer video game.
"When Electronic Arts Inc. bought Selasee's single Run for its FIFA 2006 soccer game,... sales of his first album have taken off since the game's October launch; iTunes and Napster now stock it." (Laurence Frost, Associated Press, January 26, 2006)
Selasee continues his rise to stardom. He is currently a finalist in the 2005 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) with his song "Run". The ISC has been described by the New York Times as "the songwriting contest to take note of". Finalists in this competition represent 1.4% of the 15,000 entries coming from 80 different countries. Winners in each of the 15 categories will be announced in April 2006.
Selasee has just returned from a trip to Ghana, where he made an appearance at the "Ghana Music Awards".
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Go To Town On Great Island Vibes With Kobo Town And I.an.Eye
MusicDish - ComPosition Live @ Lula The Accidental Festival present Kobo Town with I.an.Eye / DJs Chocolate (CKLN 88.1 FM) & Patrick Roots (CIUT 89.5 FM)
MusicDish and ComPosition Live @ Lula unite to present this evening of authentic calypso, reggae and dub music, with two of Toronto's fastest-rising live island bands joined by two of its most respected riddim DJs.
Thursday, April 13
Lula Lounge
1585 Dundas St. W.
Dinner @ 7 PM, doors @ 9:00 PM
Dinner reservations guarantee best seating call 416-588-0307 to reserve your table
Tickets - $10 online @ Ticketweb.com / $12 @ door
Founded by bandleader Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town is named after the historic neighborhood in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where traditional calypso (kaiso) was born amid the boastful, humourous and militant chants of the roaming stickfighters. Situated near the fishermen's wharf, the area was a site of constant defiance and conflict, a place where sticks and stones, songs and verses clashed with the bayonets and batons of colonial rule. For the members of the eight-piece outfit, the name suggests an origin as well as a destination.
Since Kobo Town's formation in 2004, the group has been in the studio recording its debut album between Toronto (August 2004) and Port-of-Spain with Trinidadian (Oct 2004 & March 2005) with producer Lyndon Livingstone, where they performed with Orange Sky and the Gayelle TV network. The band has also performed at several clubs in Ontario, including Kaiso Breakfast Lime (Scarborough), The Studio Theatre (Perth), Clinton's Tavern (Toronto), Mercury Lounge (Ottawa) and has been scheduled to headline the University of Toronto's "Hurricane Relief Concert" this December.
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MusicDish Partners with Music Discovery Network For Exposure & Distribution
MusicDish LLC, a leading industry magazine publisher and artist development company, announced a partnership with the Music Discovery Network, serving the music community by providing alternative marketing and distribution. Under the partnership, MusicDish Network artists will have their albums included in the MDN catalogue, available through MDN's online store and listed in MDN's AfterTouch, a new music catalog/magazine (catazine) incorporating artists interviews and industry articles.
In addition to publishing featured articles on selected MusicDish Network artists, AfterTouch will include a MusicDish section highlighting new releases available from its artists. MusicDish will also provide MDN with industry articles for publication in AfterTouch. AfterTouch has a circulation of 10,000 readers - 35% artists, 25% other industry professionals and 40% consumers.
"AfterTouch has done an impressive job over the last decade cultivating a very valuable audience of music buyers we feel are underserved by retailers and online stores," explained MusicDish founder Eric de Fontenay. "MDN has really worked with us to provide a complete solution: a music buying audience to whom we can market and sell our artists CDs."
All MusicDish Network artists will also be featured on MDN sites CreativeMusiciansCoalition.com, MusicDiscoveryNetwork.com and MDNStore.com. In addition to supplying content from its music magazines, MusicDish will prominently expose MDN through its online portals and associated newsletters, as well as expanding AfterTouch's readership through its syndication network.
"Marketing is the life-blood of success," says Ron Wallace. "It's absolutely mandatory for artists to keep their faces in the public's eye to get anywhere in this competitive world. The combined muscle of the MusicDish Network and the Music Discovery Network is an excellent opportunity for MusicDish and Creative Musicians Coalition artists to grow their careers far, far beyond the ordinary."
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Lareau Sings About Changes On New Release
At first glance Larry Lareau looks like an ordinary guy, very relaxed and sure of himself. Looks can be deceiving, inside there is a tiger on the prowl, and he lets it loose on the new album from his band Lareau titled Changes.
Right from the outset Lareau decided that they wanted to make music with a focus on quality. If you were to judge them by their recording Changes, you would have to agree that they succeeded. The band believes in tradition, craftsmanship, and above all, delivering a package that speaks to its audience.
Larry was influenced heavily the Beatles, Moody Blues, Elton John, Billy Joel, and Hall & Oates. When you listen to Changes, from start to finish, you can hear how it infuses their approach and sound. Darrin Payne (drums, percussion, keys, supporting vocals), Chris Saxton (guitar), Pete Gool (guitar), Anthony Brown (keyboards), and Tim Reed (bass), are Lareau's supporting cast for the recording. It becomes evident rather quickly while listening to their music that the fairies visited the studio and sprinkled some dust around before they arrived because the chemistry and magic are all present during this session.
Changes is the kind of music you would expect to hear on the radio five times a day, blaring out of your next door neighbor's window on a hot summer day, the kind of rockin' fun that your hear driving by every night because they have their windows rolled down all the way and the music is blaring full blast. This is the chicken soup for the music soul kind of music, its good for what ails you. So be one of the well-informed listeners, pick up a copy, and inject some real music with feeling into your life.
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Help Indiana Save the Bunny This Easter!
Rising popstar Indiana Gregg is giving fans a chance to help "Save the Bunny" and win a trip for two to Paris, France. Fans need to log on to http://www.indianagregg.com and watch the video "Love Is Blind". To find out more about the bunny's background myspacer's can log on to http://www.myspace.com/savebunny. In order to win, entrants must send an email to Indiana@indianagregg.com with their idea of the best ending of the "Love Is Blind" video scheduled for release in the UK in April.
The video features a Bunny diving into a frozen pond in search for the heart of a distraught puppet. The striking short animation is chillingly sad! Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in the United Kingdom Winners will be announced in a podcast/webcast featured on the site at the end of April! Good luck to all helping Indiana "Save the Bunny." Myspacers can also send their video endings to http://www.myspace.com/indianagregg
"Indiana Gregg is one of the best new voices I've heard and with a fair wind behind her could be a par with the likes of Shania Twain and KT Tunstall. She writes great songs with clever lyrics, her video's are classy and clever and she looks tremendous to boot. A perfect package"-says Alan Robson Metro FM
"She (Indiana Gregg) is one of the only artists around that can exist in, and supercede musical categories, while giving you something real"-Mark Kirby, Music Dish
"Indiana Gregg may not mean anything to you just now, but by the end of the year I reckon she will be a household name. At almost 6ft with long blonde hair and a smile like Cameron Diaz's, this beautiful girl is set for stardom." says Radio Clyde's Gina Mckie
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Airplay Direct And The Guru Project Announce Strategic Partnership
AirPlay Direct, the web-based digital delivery system that allows artists and labels to make their music available directly to broadcasters around the world, is pleased to announce a new "strategic partnership" with the Guru Project.
The Guru Project, has developed a unique "Artist Empowerment Platform," which provides fee-based services -- including recording, audio and video production, mastering, distribution, artist management, booking, promotion and marketing -- designed to help artists expand their musical careers. Their management team has more than 30 years of experience, a proven track record and the connections necessary for an artist's success.
"We're very excited about our relationship with the Guru Project" says AirPlay Direct CEO and Founder Robert Weingartz. "Their team of industry professionals brings a tremendous amount of expertise, talent and proven successes directly to AirPlay Direct artist members.
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TagWorld Announces Five Los Angeles Area Billboard Contest Winners
TagWorld, an integrated online social ecosystem, announced the five Los Angeles Area Billboard Contest Winners of a nationwide promotion that gives new and registered TagWorld members the chance to have their TagWorld URL featured on an outdoor billboard in their hometown. TagWorld's free and integrated web publishing tools make it possible for anyone, whether a novice or power user, to create a personalized and feature-rich web presence.
Residents of LA (www.tagworld.com/la), West LA (www.tagworld.com/westla), Newport (www.tagworld.com/newport) members of Taft High School (www.tagworld.com/taft) and any band looking to catch a break in Los Angeles (www.tagworld.com/band) were encouraged to log on to Tagworld. By signing up and creating a free website at any of the advertised promotions including the national promotion www.tagworld.com/billboard, members became eligible for the chance to have their personalized TagWorld URL featured on a billboard in their hometown.
The Winners:
LA Billboard Winner HefnerHymns
(La Cienega at Pico)
West LA Billboard Winner LazieJim
(Pico at Federal)
Newport Billboard Winner Block (See Block's OC page)
(Newport Freeway Northbound)
Taft High Billboard Winner WeeHaw
(Winnetka at Ventura -- across from Taft High School in Woodland Hills)
Band Billboard Winner DivisionDay
(Hollywood 101 Freeway at Western Northbound)
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Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2005 - Republished with Permission