Welcome to our seventh installment featuring CMJ’s OurStage Staff Picks from the CMJ Relay Blog. CMJ is well known for their industry leading New Music Report magazine, which contains music reviews, artist news and interviews with the best artists being played on college radio.
“Down In The Valley”
Solo Performance Channel
Singer/songwriter Marnee sings very mature lyrics belying her 11 years of age with sweet whispering, yet full and rich vocals.
RIYL: Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, Joan Baez
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/marneeaugust
“Falling Into Space”
Indie Rock Channel
Playful alternative rock that unapologetically obeys straightforward chord progressions and pop mantras.
RIYL: Spoon, Beach Boys, Wilco
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/dondilego
Check in the Dark
“Complicated Lullaby”
Acoustic Channel
This acoustic jam’s older influences accompany clanging bells, drums and high-stringed guitar picking.
RIYL: James Taylor, John Mayer, Jack Johnson
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/checkinthedarkmusic
Published by
Sam C. on
August 10, 2009 in
Country and Download of the Week.
Tags: alt country, americana, Boston College, Bryan Dobbs, Courtney Leigh Heins, Hollywood, indiana, Loretta Lynn, los angeles, mandolin, Wilco.
Courtney Leigh Heins is one name you’re bound to hear more of in the world of Alt. Country. The singer-songwriter from Indiana packed her bags for LA soon after graduating from Boston College to try her hand at being a full time musician. While in LA, she met her current songwriting partner, multi-instrumentalist Bryan Dobbs. Together, Dobbs and Heins write tunes inspired by the Heartland and Hollywood. This week’s free track, “The Great Divide” provides an insightful commentary on American politics in small town America in between twangy guitar solos and folky mandolin riffs. With influences spanning from Loretta Lynn to Wilco, Courtney is destined to win over a wide variety of listeners.
Published by
Sam C. on
May 29, 2009 in
Artist News.
Tags: ac/dc, Animal Collective, Blameshift, blink-182, blondie, Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Jagjaguwar, Jimmy Buffet, Live Performances, no doubt, Passion Pit, pat benatar, Phish, Pterodactyl, sugar ray, summer, Sunset Rubdown, The Black Crowes, the donnas, Wilco, Wolf Parade.
No Doubt
As live performances become more crucial to the revenue stream of the full time musician, more acts—old and new—are going on tour this summer. And you can bet your bottom dollar that this summer’s tour season is chockfull of great musical acts to blow your hard-earned recession pennies on. Sugar Ray is gearing up to tour in support of their first new album in six years. Nineties radio staples like No Doubt and Blink-182 are headlining reunion tours. If Blink-182 getting back together isn’t enough to satisfy your penchant for pop punk power chords, Green Day will be hitting the road this summer as well.
Eighties powerhouses Blondie and Pat Benatar are joining forces to co-headline a U.S. tour — with the all-girl punk rock band The Donnas as the opening act, it’s sure to be a quality girls night out for those of you lucky enough to score tickets.
Phish's Trey Anastasio
Quintessential live favorites such as Dave Matthews Band, AC/DC, Jimmy Buffet, The Black Crowes, Wilco and Phish are all on the road again much to the delight of their hardcore fans.
There are also plenty of up-and-coming acts and college radio artists playing shows that you can enjoy without taking out a second mortgage on your home. For Wolf Parade fans, frontman Spencer Krug’s other band — Sunset Rubdown — will be kicking off a U.S. tour in June. Still smarting because you didn’t get Animal Collective tickets? Sunset Rubdown’s Jagjaguwar labelmates, Pterodactyl, will be crisscrossing the country to console you. On the local scene, Boston’s soon-to-be superstar electro-pop outfit, Passion Pit, will be touring in support of their much anticipated LP, Manners. And finally, OurStage’s New York power pop rockers, Blameshift, are playing shows you need to check out before it’s time to go back to school.
Blameshift
In the early days of the music industry, a leak was as simple as a radio DJ copying an advance release and giving it to a friend. Today within minutes of someone sharing an album online, it’s available to anyone with an internet connection (and sufficient knowledge of where to obtain these files). It has become a daily habit of publications such as Digital Music News to announce leaks and add exposure to the growing leak issues in the industry. These recent leaks include hot shots such as Green Day, Eminem, Wilco and Franz Ferdinand.
Recently there has been a new front to this leak battle; Independent artists are starting to see the same issues as their Major label counterparts. One such example: Tori Amos’ latest album leaked on May 11th, it was due to hit stores only 8 days later.
Luckily, artists are fighting back with other promotions to promote buying their album. Those who pre-ordered Tori’s album on iTunes received a password to order tickets for her summer tour before the general public. The album also came with a DVD video; items like this are not usually included in prerelease leaks giving fans a reason to pick up the album. Artists like Tori also have another thing going for them: a loyal fan base who may download a leak but will still purchase the album for the extras and in support of the artist.
The industry is changing. The classic music industry tactics are futile. Labels must embrace change and adjust tactics for success as independent artists have, or they will soon fall to dust.
