Published by
Carla DeSantis on
November 4, 2009 in
Artist News, Editorial, Fine Tunings and In the News.
Tags: Emily Wells, Ferron, Grey Anne, K Records, Ladyfest, Michigan Womyn's Festival, Natalia Kay, Patsy Mink, Sallie Ford, Siren Nation, Tender Forever, Y La Bamba.
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. Continue reading ‘FINE TUNINGS: SONG OF THE SIREN’
Published by
Sam C. on
August 7, 2009 in
Hip-Hop and In the News.
Tags: Amanda Septo, Aubrey Graham, Canada, Cassie Steele, Degrassi, downtown sasquatch, Drake, Hip-Hop, kiai, lil wayne, Pizzamind, Ray Ablack, television, the zit remedy.
Dowtown Sasquatch
For those of you not familiar with melodramatic Canadian teen TV shows, there’s no bigger name in the business than Degrassi. The first Degrassi series aired in 1979 with The Kids of Degrassi Street, but it wasn’t until the late 80’s with Degrassi Junior High that the brain child of TV writer Linda Schuyler developed a cult following. Today’s incarnation of Degrassi, Degrassi: The Next Generation, is currently nearing the end of its eighth season. Over the years, the series has covered just about every possible horrible thing that could ever happen to you as a teenager. Through all the trials and tribulations there was one thing Degrassi characters could always rely on to get them through the tough times —music! Degrassi bands like The Zit Remedy and Downtown Sasquatch provided much needed relief to all the endless drama. It’s no surprise then that some of the actors on the show have begun to forge careers in the music industry.
Cassie Steele, known for playing the role of Manny Santos, recently released her sophomore album Destructo Doll. The single, “Mr. Colson” is a rock tune with a lot of heartache and soul.
Cast newcomer Ray Ablack, who plays heartthrob Sav Bhandari, spent three years studying Vocal Music at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts in Toronto. When he’s not taping Degrassi, he spends time singing in his band KIAI and working on his own material.
Drake
Currently, Aubrey Graham — the actor who played Jimmy Brooks—is taking the hip hop world by storm under the stage name Drake. Fresh from signing a lucrative $2 million dollar record deal with Aspire/Young Money/Cash Money Records, Drake is gearing up to release his first commercial album after generating a great deal of buzz with his popular So Far Gone mixtape. It also doesn’t hurt him to have Lil’ Wayne as his personal mentor.
The three avid Degrassi fans in the OurStage office were more than delighted to find out that one of the bands on OurStage featured a bona fide Degrassi actress in their music video. Actress Amanda Septo, who plays fan favorite “Spike,” did the guys in Toronto’s Pizzamind a favor by showing up to their video shoot for “My Baby’s Got it Going On.” Check it out!
The Independent Music Awards have announced the addition of some exciting fresh faces to their panel of judges this year. Hugely influential mover and shaker Tom Waits will be reviewing this year’s submissions along with wife Kathleen Brennan, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy fame, Country star Ricky Scaggs, and MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughs.
From the IMA website:
The Independent Music Awards helps indie artists & releases worldwide overcome mainstream obstacles by placing Winners & Finalists in front of more than 15 Million new fans via yearlong promotion, marketing & distribution programs.
Sounds like a pretty good idea to us.
The Independent Music Awards are currently accepting submissions, so head over to their site and check it out for yourself. You could be in the running this year.
When I was a young girl, Michael Jackson was my world. I was a fan of the Jackson 5 Motown classics, followed his solo departure with Off The Wall and gave him my preteen heart with the release of Thriller. Every day I’d come home from school, put on the record and craft dance routines along with my sister in front of the poster image of my hero that adorned our bedroom wall. I would day dream about owning my own red leather “Beat It” jacket, seeing him in concert and becoming friends with the music and dance icon. In 1984, one of my dreams came true when my grandfather returned home with 4 tickets to the Jackson 5 “Victory Tour”. My grandparents took my sister and I to our first concert, THE CONCERT—the one that I had pined to see all summer. The four of us sang and danced and felt so lucky to witness the magic. When I returned home from the concert, I wrote a 20 page review—careful to note every detail of the show—and mailed copies to all my friends and relatives. I wanted to share the wonder of Michael Jackson’s talents with the world.
Yesterday my childhood hero—an artist who broke records, broke down racial barriers and influenced generations of musicians and dancers—passed away at the age of 50. The circumstances of Michael Jackson’s death are still unknown although attending physicians say he suffered a cardiac arrest. In the days that follow I suspect we may learn details that are reminiscent of the tragic deaths of Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith, fellow entertainers who medicated private pains. However, Jackson’s pains were never private. He wore his demons on his bizarrely reconstructed face which aided in the polarization of billions of fans spanning the globe. As the news of Jackson’s parting spreads, I can’t help wondering what the truth was behind the many years of tabloid headlines and thinking the King of Pop really died of a broken heart.
He was a hero in his youth, a villain in his 30’s and 40’s. Many fans were outraged by Jackson’s plastic surgery, eccentric lifestyle and behavior as well as the accusations involving children. Other fans loved and supported the icon through every infamous headline. I am left in a state of limbo, confused by how to resolve the talent with the controversy. However, I overlook my own sadness over the passing of Michael Jackson which leads me to believe that, ultimately, my childhood perception of who he was will prevail.
OurStage would like to send condolences to the friends and family of the entertainer. We also want to invite the music lovers and musicians of our community to share your own stories and thoughts about Michael Jackson. As we all process his untimely departure let the memories of his music and the moments that defined his talent replay in our minds and hearts.
From 1980–1995, the New Music Seminar served as an annual event to provide independent artists with the tools necessary to sustain career longevity by combing live performances with music biz 101. Heralded as a music revolution and credited as the original template by which events like SXSW were later modeled, the New Music Seminar is back after a decade-long hiatus.
The NMS is once again tearing down boundaries constructed by the music industry by empowering artists to take control of their careers. On July 21, at New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the reincarnated New Music Seminar will announce the dawn of a new music business era, offering practical-yet-cutting-edge solutions for all artists regardless of genre. The conference will kick off with an address by keynote speaker, Courtney Holt (president of MySpace Music) and will be followed by four educational sessions on how to combine new and old music industry methods with technology for career success. The event will commence with live performances by artists riding this revolutionary wave with their self-realized record sales of 10,000+ units and having sold out 500+ capacity venues.
Limited tickets are available for this one day event. Register here now.
