Every Friday on the OurStage blog, I’ll be featuring a great example of flow and lyricism in hip hop songs pulled from the OurStage ranks. I’ll get the artist’s thoughts on the song, as well as post the lyrics or best verse so fans can follow the flow themselves.

Chris McDonald. Maryland representing.

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre both rapped about Compton. Nas already rapped about New York City. When was the last time someone rapped about Maryland? Well, Chris McDonald took matters into his own hands, writing his song “Maryland Matters” and putting the Mid Atlantic state back on the map. Even if you’re not from Maryland, you can get the message. Check out what Chris has to say about the song:

“Maryland Matters” is the 2nd track off my EP, Life of A Salesman, which is now available on iTunes. The song is really just me representing where I am from; I am born and raised in Maryland. My favorite lines in the song is really the hook, because I feel like I am who I am because of where I am from. I am not from a big city, or an area that has a lot of music that is nationally recognized. I don’t mind that at all, because I feel I have a story that many people in Maryland can relate to. My hope with this song is that it not only helps put Maryland on the map, but makes people feel proud that they are from Maryland.

Welcome to the first edition of the new OurStage Blog feature “Liner Notes,” where we give the mic over to artists on OurStage to talk in depth about one of their tracks. Whether it be the inspiration, the meaning, the recording process, etc., “Liner Notes” is written for the fan who wants to know more about a song beyond what they hear. This week we reached out to Michigan rock band Good Luck Varsity to delve deeper into their heavy hearted track “Shipwrecked Safe & Sound”. Evan, the band’s vocalist, provides some insight on the song that was penned after two band members were involved in a serious car accident the day before a tour.

You don’t find out what you’re made of on a cruise ship. You’re there for a good time, to be pampered and taken care of. In fact, the slightest hint of discomfort – some choppy water or lower-than-average temperatures – might trigger complaints and questions about whether all the money you spent was worth it. The simple fact that you’re SURVIVING while floating around on the very water that has mercilessly taken billions of human lives since the beginning of time doesn’t even cross your mind, and you certainly don’t feel thankful and relieved when you get back to shore.

Let’s face it, life can be easy sometimes. Not necessarily fun, or free of obligations and demands on our time – but most of us don’t wake up each day asking ourselves “Will I survive to see tomorrow?” We’ve learned to coast through the stuff we don’t like doing, and we generate our hope and happiness through the things we look forward to, as evidenced by the age-old saying “Thank Goodness it’s Friday.”

But inevitably, the storm is coming. If you live long enough, some metaphorical hurricane from hell is going to sweep down the coast and come smashing through the front door of your life and your beliefs and everything that keeps you comfortable, and you’ll find yourself clinging to a piece of driftwood with no land in sight and a decision to make. Maybe it’s a death in the family, maybe the loss of a steady job… or maybe a careless drunk driver will run a red light and throw every perfect plan you had into a trash compactor with razor teeth. And then what?

Then you find out who you are. THEN you find out what you’re made of. That’s the “beauty in the breakdown” so-to-speak. And that’s what has always inspired me, and what inspired “Shipwrecked Safe & Sound.” I’ve had my share of choppy waters, maybe even a few tropical storms… but I’ve been blessed enough by God, my family and my brother’s quick reaction time behind the steering wheel to avoid the hurricane from hell. But when my storm comes, and my paddles crack, and my boat starts to capsize, I hope I’m up to the task. And that’s what this song means – at that catastrophic point, maybe I’ll find that my heart is strong, and that I can sing all the way to the ocean floor.

Until then, my heroes are those who weather their own storms, no matter how big or how small they might be – whether it’s my brother playing a show from a wheelchair 2 weeks after an accident that nearly took his life, or the soccer team I coach fighting and scraping to not get mercied when the score is already 7-0 and any hope of winning has completely dissolved. Because hearts that refuse to be broken may still end up shipwrecked, but they’ll find a way to keep their heads above water… and they’ll end up safe and sound.

Get 'Em High: RAS

According to their bio, RAS has a helluva mission on their shoulders: to “fight against whatever mainstream media and culture offers the masses today …uplift and create spaces where atrocities against people of the African diaspora can begin to heal … through remembering the past, exposing lies, expressing emotion and resisting self-hatred.” Not a job for the faint at heart. Luckily, the husband and wife hip-hop team has a whole lotta heart, and some mighty voices to back it up.

Winners of the 2008 Lennon Songwriting Award for hip-hop, RAS (Riders Against the Storm) is comprised of Rhode Island MCs Tiger Lily and JBro. Together, the duo vacillates between confessions of self-consciousness and chest-thumping demonstrations of verbal prowess. In “Never Alone,” JBro likens himself to Bobby Brown, “stressing every little step,” against a throbbing bass line and fluttering keys. Though lyrically anxious, the melody is self-assured. But its songs like “Ready or Not” that really show RAS at the peak of their potency. A remake of the Fugees hit, the track brings the drama with sweeping strings, reiterating percussion and the electronic hiss of synths as Tiger Lily and JBro chant, “RAS is right on target / First in the flame with the power to spark it.” It’s an explosive mantra for a duo that’s determined to burn down the house.

Share and Enjoy:

]]> http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/11/06/porno-for-pyros/feed/ 0 http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/11/06/porno-for-pyros/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ejcentral/~3/UEYYMdTUOFE/ http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/11/05/country-catch-branan-logan/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:44 +0000 bethanys http://blog.ourstage.com/?p=22192

 

Branan Logan

Look out Country Channel! Branan Logan is here and he’s ready to take over the country community. His twangy voice and classic country lyrics team up to make his songs something worth tuning into. The potential for stardom is both  tangible and undeniable for this songwriter. Branan’s tunes have garnered so much attention in Nashville that his tunes have been pitched to superstars like Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts. His sound is totally his own, and he is sure to be noticed for his unique approach to country music.

You don’t have to be certifiable in order to appreciate Branan’s catchiest diddy “Borderline Crazy”. With a Phil Vassar sound and Kenny Chesney island-themed lyrics, its only a matter of time before everyone blasts this tune through their speakers. Logan tells his 60-hour weeks “Adios!” but the only thing I see country fans saying him is “Hola!” and  “Muchas Gracias!” for making such great new music.

 

Share and Enjoy:

]]> http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/11/05/country-catch-branan-logan/feed/ 0 http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/11/05/country-catch-branan-logan/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ejcentral/~3/r72f8vHYGUs/ http://blog.ourstage.com/2009/11/05/sidecho-media-takes-over-the-indie-rock-channel-win-the-ultimate-album-promo-package/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:03 +0000 Sam C. http://blog.ourstage.com/?p=22353

In today’s world of independent music, self-releasing albums is becoming the norm. But how do you distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd? This is where SideCho Media steps in. SideCho Media, a sister of SideCho Records offers digital distribution, promotion and consulting services. This month SideCho wants to award the ultimate promo package to one high-ranking OurStage Indie Rock act in need of some help getting their new record out there! The winning artist will receive $5,000 dollars worth of online promotion and consulting services, such as distribution to over 250 digital retailers, regional promotion at physical record stores, accounting breakdowns, bio composition and much more! Upload your best new track into the Indie Rock Channel before November 22nd to compete.  Prizing eligibility is limited to artists with recent or upcoming releases, so don’t forget to check out the FAQ to make sure you qualify.

Can’t compete in the channel? You can always be a judge! After all, SideCho needs some help finding a deserving winner. That’s why they’re rewarding the Best Predictor of the final rankings for November’s Indie Rock Channel with a prize of their own. The fan with the best ears will win a Music Critic’s Grab Bag filled handpicked goodies such as a signed pair of drumsticks from Ilan Rubin (Nine Inch Nails), signed posters, an assortment of CDs and more. Click here to start judging the Indie Rock Channel.

For more information on rules and prizes visit ourstage.com/go/sidecho.

American culture owes much to the disc jockey profession. Whether on the radio or behind turntables at a club, the DJ has always been on the forefront of setting musical trends by debuting unknown artists and upcoming genres. As a result, styles of music gain immense popularity until a new trend is set. It’s a cyclic pattern and DJs always seem to play a strong role in it, whether the music is contemporary or forty-five-years-old! The genres of northern soul and Latin boogaloo are two styles of music that were immensely popular in particular regions back in the 1960s and now have renewed exposure in the record digging community. The fact that the music is incredibly danceable has helped its revival but looking deeper, the influence of the disc jockey is an integral component of their resurgence.

NORTHERN SOUL

One of the Rarest in Existence

Northern Soul is one of the most notable trends in today’s vinyl market yet it actually took root in the music subculture of England. There was a crucial point in the split of the mod culture in the mid-to-late 1960s when new trends of music took hold. Mods were always interested in American soul and R&B records in addition to the emerging British rock scene of the early 1960s. As that rock scene turned more psychedelic, the influx of Jamaicans into the UK helped establish the ska, rocksteady and skinhead scenes while a faction of the mod culture continued to exclusively embrace and explore the massive American soul scene ( independent and unknown soul artists from the USA that never made it big in particular). Artists who recorded one song in the style of Detroit Soul and then disappeared were crucial to the emerging DJ who wanted to be the first to debut a northern soul recording in a club. Popular soul artists, like Edwin Starr and Tammi Terrell, were embraced as well but the more obscure an artist meant greater notoriety for a DJ. This trend continued to go in and out of popularity throughout the 1970s British scene but within the past few years has reemerged with avengence for record collectors in both the US and the UK.

So what exactly is northern soul? Some say it’s a style of soul music being played with a solid, danceable beat regardless of artist popularity while others get more specific, claiming its origin from the location of certain clubs, shops or scenes in Manchester, England. While the music on many of the recordings is fantastic, it surely does not garner the insanely high price tags that some of these 45rpm singles receive. See for yourself by perusing the database at Collectors Frenzy of some of the top northern soul pieces that have fetched ludicrous prices regardless of condition at times.

LATIN BOOGALOO

This is a foundational boogaloo LP everyone should own

Monguito Sanatamaria LP

STILL GETTING YOUR FEET WET IN THE VINYL POOL?

Due to vinyl’s resurgence in the music buying public, hordes of new enthusiasts starting record collections for the first time are being welcomed into the circle. Before jumping into the heavy hitters like the northern soul genre or original Lexington Blue Notes, the new buyer needs foundational albums to take root. Talking Heads 77, Thelonious Monk Criss-Cross, The Doors Waiting For The Sun, The Beatles White Album, Marvin Gaye What’s Goin On and all of those hundreds, if not thousands, of timeless discs are in demand like never before. As  new collectors join the club, it will be interesting to see what vinyl-buying trends arise from all these fresh perspectives.

Have an insatiable appetite to dig deeper? Mid-to-late 1970s obscure disco, Cumbia, Afro-beat and private homemade pressings of all genres are a few other high-priced trends cooking on the burner.  But if you happen to find that holy grail collection of original 1960s and 1970s Nigerian Afro-Beat recordings, please give me a call.

Keep Digging!
-Gregorious-

Play the New England Americana Festival with Boston Americana favorites Three Day Threshold

This week, we’re spotlighting a great new opportunity in the OurStage Marketplace. The organizers of the New England Americana Festival need talent to fill out the festival’s roster and are looking right here on OurStage. The New England Americana Festival celebrates the long tradition of deep-rooted American folk music. This February, the festival will be take place over three nights at Church in Boston. The festival is looking for 4 to 7 more acts to join The Bean Pickers Union, The Rationales, Bryan Pero and the Tired Horses, The Bees Knees, Golden West Motor Lodge, Odessa Rose, Dave Sammarco Band, The Kingsley Flood, Three Day Threshold and OurStage artists The Autumn Hollow Band. Artists don’t have to be located in New England to apply, but those who can draw in Boston will be given preference. If you play Folk, Americana, Traditional Country, Alt Country, Blues, Rock, Southern Rock or any other roots-influenced music, head on over to the OurStage Marketplace and submit your EPK for this gig!

Submit your EPK to the New England Americana Festival gig, click HERE.

For more info about the OurStage Marketplace, check out the Marketplace FAQ section.

•   Make sure he/she is the right fit. Love the new Adam Lambert or Jay-Z record? Research the producer. Familiarize yourself with that producer’s previous work and decide if it’s the right production style for you.

•    Get a sense of commitment from him/her. How much studio time can you expect on a weekly basis? What will the turnaround time be like for mixing? If you’ve got an album release deadline, you’ll want these questions answered before you partner with that producer.

•    Schedule plenty of time for pre-production. Pre-production will help ensure you’re on the same page with the producer. That includes familiarizing him/her with your songs, going over arrangements and production ideas, and introducing him/her to records with production that you admire.

•    Know when to let go of your own judgments and trust their vision. As much as you may want to micromanage the process, it’s important to give your producer some breathing room. Suspension of disbelief on your part may lead to some really great ideas that will strengthen your record. Sometimes it takes a village.

•    Know when to fight for your own vision. At the end of the day, this is something you have to sign your name to. So it’s critical that the work on your record really represent you as an artist. If the producer is leading you down a path that doesn’t feel true to you, then it’s your responsibility to speak up.

•   Check your ego at the door. If your producer comments how the transition between the chorus and the bridge is a little bumpy, and your response is to throw your guitar at the wall and scream, “I hate you!” then you’re doing a real disservice to your record and to yourself. Don’t take critiques personally. Remember, you’re a team working towards a common goal; world domination. So lose the ‘tude, dude.

This week marks year number three for the Portland, Oregon music and arts festival, Siren Nation. Featuring music, film, crafts, panels and workshops, Siren Nation honors the women in Portland’s vital arts scene. I spoke with Siren Nation founder Natalia Kay about the joys and challenges of putting on a successful festival in these tough financial times.

CD: How did you come up with the idea for Siren Nation?

NK: It came out of conversations I had with a friend who I was producing events with. I was very inspired by Ladyfest and the Michigan Womyn’s Festival. Portland deserved and needed an event of that magnitude to honor the amazing array of talented women artists in the area. We knew we could put together a national-caliber festival just with local bands and thought it spoke volumes about the quality and quantity of great women artists in the area. We also figured that there would be an audience here, and hoped that people would travel to Portland to experience the magic of a women’s music festival. Additionally, we were continually disappointed to see that women were underrepresented in local and regional music festivals, so there clearly was a need to shine the spotlight on women.

CD: What is important in doing an event that speaks specifically to women?

NK: People often question the validity or need for having a space that focuses solely on the work of women. In some people’s minds women are hugely successful in the arts and having women-centered events is kind of antiquated. However, the music industry is hugely controlled by men and women are still incredibly underrepresented, not as musicians, but as the best-paid musicians with the best opportunities. I look at festival line-ups in Portland, the region and nationally and am constantly disappointed to see that women are not given equal air time in the larger venues. It is incredibly frustrating because women are not less talented than men but they are judged by a different standard. If they don’t look a certain way they are not considered marketable. Women are making great strides in the arts but there are still gross inequalities as far as gender goes, not just in music but visual arts, film, etc. We like having a space where women decide what is important (our board is 100% women) and women’s talent is front and center.

CD: How long in advance do you plan the festival?

NK: Siren Nation is a year-round job. We usually take a break after the festival and through the holidays, but our first fundraiser of the year is the second week of January. We have a calendar of annual events that we produce every other month from January through September and eighty percent of our budget comes from these events. We start planning various aspects of the festival itself in January.

CD: What are the biggest challenges of putting an event together like Siren Nation?

NK: We are struggling, as are most of our community and fellow arts organizations, to stay in the black. We’ve always run a pretty tight operation as the vast majority of our revenue comes from events we produce throughout the year, but we are an all-volunteer-run organization. There is any amazing wealth of talent and skills on our board but we’re constrained in our development and growth by lack of time, energy and funding. People who attend arts events do not understand the true cost of such events. Portland is so saturated with art and talent that people expect to (and can) go see a great show for five dollars. But it is not possible for an artist to survive off what they make at the door, never mind all the supporting personnel. What people are willing to pay is not enough to adequately compensate the artists, and finding money to subsidize ticket sales is really challenging.

CD: Is there a charity recipient?

NK: The first year we were enough in the black to make a nice donation to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls. Since then we have not been able to make cash donations, although we support local non-profits any way we can. We donate ad space in our program, offer space to table at our events and the opportunity to speak to our audiences. None of our organizers get paid a dime for all the hard work they do all year long. Ninety percent of the money goes to pay the performers what we feel is a fair wage for the work they are doing. So the money does not go to a charity per se but paying artists to share their best is a worthy cause.

CD: What do you do when you are not doing this?

NK: When Siren Nation started five years ago, I was working as a nanny. Then I started working in the trades and spent the past three and a half years working as a carpenter and painter. This fall I decided to go back to school and am now a full-time graduate student at PSU in their Masters of Public Administration program, focusing on non-profits. I also have a part-time job on campus as volunteer coordinator for the Queer Resource Center.

CD: This being the third year of the event, is there anything new?

NK: The biggest change is that we are downsizing to a smaller venue. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Someday Lounge. They have been hugely supportive and enthusiastic about hosting Siren Nation, and local music and arts in general. It will be a much more intimate space which I hope will contribute to a stronger sense of community during the performances. Another small change is that we’ve consolidated three art shows we did last year into one big art event with more than 50 local visual artists.

CD: What are you most looking forward to seeing or hearing?

NK: Picking what I am most excited about is extremely difficult because the festival is like my baby and I am incredibly proud and excited about each and every facet. If I had to pick, though, I am particularly excited about the film portion of the festival. It was not our intention to screen only documentaries, but that’s the way it worked out and each of the documentaries features a woman who is a pioneer in her own right [Ferron, Alix Olsen, Storm Large]. Serendipitously all the films form a program that is cohesive and very inspiring. I’m looking forward to the film Ahead of the Majority and learning more about Patsy Mink, the US Representative from Hawaii who was the first woman of color to serve in the House. She also authored Title IX.

CD: Tell me about the music you’ve got planned this year.

NK: I’m incredibly excited to have Emily Wells perform at this year’s festival. We tried to get her last year but it didn’t work out so I am especially thrilled that we were finally able to get her. She is an incredibly talented young woman who not only writes her own music and lyrics, but plays a vast array of instruments incredibly well. She’s quite the wunderkind. Y La Bamba plays beautiful and unusual music. Grey Anne is enchanting and lovely, a one-woman show with layers and layers of harmonies and clever lyrics. Sallie Ford is new to Portland and blew us away at the Dolly Parton Hoot Night. Her sound is quite retro and has a ton soul. We’re also super excited about Tender Forever, another one-woman band from K Records who recently relocated to Portland and has been working on her first new album since 2007 so we’re really excited to hear what she does before she heads off to tour in Europe.

Siren Nation runs November 5-8 in various Portland venues: Thursday night kickoff is at the Olympic Mills Building, Friday night film festival will be at Hollywood Theater and free workshops, panels and craft fair will be held on Sunday from 11-5 at McMenamin’s Kennedy school. Music performances on Friday and Saturday nights are at the Someday Lounge. For a full schedule and more details go to www.sirennation.com.

Cakewalk’s “Your Music: Anytime, Anyplace” Songwriting Contest is now open for judging! Cakewalk and OurStage need your help finding the best original tracks from up-and-coming rock and urban acts. This is your chance to help six talented artists win Cakewalk and Intel Core i7 powered mobile studios so they can keep making hits!

Need some incentive? The two fans with the best ears will be awarded mobile studios of their own! The top predictor of the final rankings for each “Anytime, Anyplace” Channel will win an Intel Core i7 powered laptop along with tons Cakewalk goodies including Music Creator 5 and Pyro Audio Creator 1.5 software and much more!

Click here to begin judging the “Your Music: Anytime, Anyplace” Rock Channel.

Click here to begin judging the “Your Music: Anytime, Anyplace” Urban Channel.

For more information on contest rules and prizing visit ourstage.com/go/anytimeanyplace.