Spotlight - April
Welcome to The Spotlight!
This newsletter is brought to you by the people at Rainmaker Music
Publicity: http://www.rainmakerpublicity.com
The music world has suffered a great loss with the passing of Joey Ramone
(1951-2001) from lymphatic cancer. Although he is no longer with us in
life, his spirit will live on forever in the hearts of all those he
touched with his music. In a world where everyone is trying to sound like
someone else, he was one of a kind...a true original that will be greatly
missed. Gabba, gabba...hey.
Here we are, only our fourth issue and we're still going strong. I know you
people get tired of hearing how well these things are doing. But, I want to
thank each and almost every one of you for the support you've given me over
the past few months...it means a lot to me. I'd also like to thank the
bands who have put information up on their web pages about this newsletter
and/or made a mention of it to their mailing list. It's good to know that
SOME of you appreciate what I'm doing here. Finally, I'd like to thank
those who have blown me off after getting what they wanted from me...be it
an article, an interview, whatever. You eventually find out who your REAL
friends are in this business. People who like to blow smoke up your ass
have this wonderful habit of letting their true colors shine through when
their pasture is looking a bit greener. Lucky for them that I won't mention
names...not in print anyway. I really don't care. But, you should remember
one thing...when you forget where you came from and what you used to
believe in then you're making music for all the wrong reasons and any
success you have will be empty and meaningless. You should be nice to
people on your way to the top because you'll meet those same people on your
way back down.
Anyway...enough of that. There's better news to report and I'm really in
no mood to be bitter.
I'm now handling press relations for Strictly Heavy Management. This is my
first real gig as a publicist and my position is sure to expand as we grow
and move on to bigger and better things, which we will do because we're
dedicated to what we believe in and we're willing to work hard for the
bands that we sign. A very special thanks goes out to Theresa Aldao for
realizing my potential and allowing me to become part of her company and to
Thicker Than Water for being the kind of band that I can believe in, as
both musicians and as human beings.
While my main focus is on what I need to do for SHM (as far as my press
work goes), I'm now willing to offer my services to any band who is in need
of a publicist...one who can get the job done and give your music the
exposure it deserves. So, if you're looking to get your music known all
over the world, I'm the person you need to contact. I'm only interested in
working with bands who have a strong desire to succeed and the music to
back it up. If that's you, get in touch and we'll talk business.
CONTEST: Chamber's a hard and heavy metal band from Pennsylvania and,
what's that, you say? You haven't heard of them? Well, they would like to
introduce themselves to you. In fact, they'd like to give you a free copy
of their crushing, nine song CD, "You And What Army." All you have to do to
recieve a copy of this exceptional release is go to their web page, send
them an e-mail and mention that you heard about them through the SPOTLIGHT
newsletter and they'll send you a free CD. But, be quick about it because
they've only got ten of 'em to give away. So, first come, first serve.
Also, be sure to include your mailing address in your message. That way, if
you win, they know where to send it. Good luck to all...Chamber's waiting.
New Page: http://www.chamberarmy.com
Old Page: http://www.angelfire.com/music2/chamber
BAND OF THE MONTH: MARY PRANKSTER: My first experience with this band came
when I happened to pick up a copy of their debut release, "Blue Skies Over
Dundalk." I was hooked from the moment I heard this album. I immediately
contacted the band and, in a matter of days, a copy of their latest
release, "Roulette Girl," appeared in my mailbox. Again, I was impressed.
So much, in fact, that, I wasn't even thinking of a review, I wanted to
jump right into an interview, which is something that I don't do too often
with a band that's new to me. But, this was a very special band as far as I
was concerned and they were worthy of an interview right off the bat. You
can see how that Easter Sunday conversation went if you check out the
Ballbuster Magazine web page. When you're done checking that out, you need
to go to Mary Prankster's web page and order yourself a copy of their two
releases. Once you hear what they have to offer, you'll understand why
they're worthy of the Spotlight "Band Of The Month" award.
http://www.maryprankster.com
Paul Farnham was kind enough to put his music online for all the world to
hear and, if you'd be so kind, take a moment out of your day and give it a
listen. Let your own ears write the review and experience something new and
be sure to drop him a line to let him know what you think of his music.
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/82/paul_farnham.html
Bead is one of Pennsylvania's "must see" bands. A true heavy hitter in the
scene, they've worked hard to build up their name and reputation. They
released an exceptional EP titled "Dead Leaves," which has seen a great
deal of well deserved praise. But, sadly, Bead is no more...at least in
name anyway. In an effort to avoid legal mumbo jumbo, they were forced to
change their name. They're now known as Dead Leaves. Yes, they re-named
themselves after their latest release. Works rather well if you ask me. No
matter what they call themselves, there's one thing you can count
on...they'll deliver some of the best music that you'll ever hope to hear.
http://www.deadleaves.com
If you like your music heavy, and I know some of you do, then you'll enjoy
the crushing onslaught of Instigation. I recently spoke with vocalist Bruce
Phillips and it turns out that, not only are they a good band, but, they
share the Spinebelt attitude of "NO COVERS," which is always a plus in my
book. There's not a lot of bands out there that believe in themselves
enough to go out into the scene and play their own material. So, when you
find a band that's willing to do that, they're worthy of your support. It
also helps if they can back up that attitude with some kick ass material,
which Instigation most certainly has. You can experience the power this
band has on their latest release, "Ressurrection."
http://www.geocities.com/instigationonline
I know there's a lot of people on this mailing list who are into The
Beatles. If you're a fan of the Fab Four and you long for the time when
music actually meant something and it had a bit of magic to it, then Bigelf
is the band that you need to check out. While they'll never be able to top
the original, they come pretty damn close. Their latest release, the
exceptional, nine song CD, "Money Machine," is a mighty fan album that
belongs in your collection. It's simply one of the best releases that has
come across my desk this month. Highly recommended!
http://www.bigelf.com
If you're not familiar with the music of Phil Naro then you don't know what
rock 'n' roll is all about. Phil is, without a doubt, the one true voice of
rock 'n' roll, people. No matter what he's done, it has always been
consistantly solid and well produced. I mean, honestly, here's a guy who's
talented enough to make a polka album if he wanted to and it would still
rock. Let's just hope Phil doesn't decide to go polka though. He has gone
country with Long Tom & The Dusty Danglers and they created quite a buzz
with their "My Country Girl" EP. You had to hear that one to really
appreciate it. Phil also has to his credit a release that is probably the
only true, absolutely perfect, rock 'n' roll album and that was the
exceptional "Press Play." Phil can also be heard on the Blood Red Flower
album which is, again, another perfect rock 'n' roll album. In case you
haven't been listening, let me drive the point home by telling you about
one more album that I've had the pleasure of hearing, "Ten Year Tour." This
15 song release fills in some of the missing history in Phil's recording
career with songs from various projects he's been involved in, such as 24K
and Empire. Another exceptional release which proves, once and for all,
that Phil couldn't make a bad album even if he wanted to. If you wanna go
back a few years, seek out Billy Sheehan's "The Talas Years," which
features 10 live songs from 1983 with Phil Naro on vocals. I happened to
stumble upon this release in a used CD store and, I'm glad that I
did...great album.
http://www.interlog.com/~pnaro
There seems to be a lot of different "heavy and aggressive" bands making
some major noise in the music scene these days. But, there's one artist
that seems to be making a little more noise than everyone else, Bernard
Edwards. This artist caught my eye mainly because, number one, I reviewed
one of his older CD's before I was in touch with him and, two, he happens
to use Kiss style make up and, as you all know, Kiss happens to be my
favorite band. This is another artist that I've had the pleasure of doing
an interview with and you can also see this interview on the Ballbuster
Magazine web page. But, for his music, which is now released under the name
Bernard Edward's Project Homicide, well, one must experience what he has to
offer to truly understand where he's coming from and where he's going in
this business. The future of "heavy and aggressive" music might be right
here in front of your eyes. Only time will tell...check him out.
http://www.emeraldcityrecordings.com
It seems like a lot of my favorite bands have changed in one way or
another. I've been hip to a band called Yeah Right for a few years now and
they've released some quality music over the years. Some pretty impressive
stuff if I do say so myself...and I do. But, they dropped the Yeah Right
name and replaced it with Alone. I really don't care what they call
themselves...this band is awesome. Always was, always will be and if you
want some real kick ass metal in your collection, this is the band to see.
They've got your metal right here!
http://www.alonemusic.com
Everyone has a favorite album, one that simply rises above everything else
that they've ever heard. Well, no matter who your favorite artist is or
what your favorite album is, I'm about to introduce you to something that's
far more superior. Now, I've recieved hundreds of CD's in the mail these
past few months and I've gotten a lot of great music. But, out of
everything that I've heard and, to be quite honest, out of everything
currently in my collection, I have found an album that simply blows my
entire collection away. Lana Lane's "Secrets Of Astrology" is, without a
doubt, the most brilliant album you will ever hear...guaranteed. The
musicianship is absolutely perfect, the production is of the highest
quality. This is what musicians should strive to be. You can learn a lot
from this release.
http://www.lanalane.com
DEGY SHOP: http://www.degyshop.com
ALTAR NATIVE: http://www.altarnative.com
BALLBUSTER MAGAZINE: http://www.ballbusterhardmusic.com
METAL RULES MAGAZINE: http://www.metalrulesmagazine.com
CONTEST: If you can get FIVE new people to sign up for this newsletter,
you'll recieve a free copy of the debut Kruzt CD, "No Accounting For
Taste." For a taste of what's on this release, be sure to check out the
link below. Also, the people who sign up must mention your name, otherwise,
it doesn't count. Got it? Good...now go spread the word!
http://www.mp3.com/KRUZT
United's "Distorted Vision" is an eleven song lesson in heavy metal
aggression. United is not a band for the weak of heart as they play an
extreme form of music. I've heard this style of music before in many forms
and my biggest complaint has usually been an improper production. Just
because your music is brutal doesn't mean you should be lazy in the studio.
That's not the case here. United's top notch production only intensifies
their brutal music, making it that much easier to enjoy. I recommend this
release to all of you out there who like to bang your head just a little
bit harder than everyone else.
http://www.howlingbull.com
The line up for the long awaited/upcoming SPOTLIGHT compilation CD is
finally complete. We have a wealth of talented musicians who will be
appearing and they include Spinebelt, Monkey's Uncle, Kruzt, The Bridge,
Paul Nelson, Young & Fabulous, Karen Kenedy, Draganoid, Smokin' Joe, Grand
Facade, Chamber, Blue Taxi, Torrie Tyson, Needulhed, Darling Demoniac and
Theoadore Muddfoot. There's a good variety of music on this album and the
way the running order is set up, the songs, while being different in terms
of musical style, flow rather well together. We're now looking into
artwork and printing options and, more than likely, while we're doing that,
I'll make up a few CD-R copies and start hitting the radio to get some
publicity going. We'll keep you posted because I know you're gonna want a
copy once it's finally released.
The new print issue of SPOTLIGHT is, believe it or not, still in the works.
I've been working on it on a regular basis. But, since I'm spending a lot
of money into putting this issue out, I want to be totally satisfied with
what I put into circulation. I'm not gonna put out crap and if it takes a
little while longer to get it to where I want it to be, well, so be it.
I've got some great people writing for me now...Timothy K. Burns, Lord
Litter, Donna Atchison, Renee Maxwell. But, truth be told, I know for a
fact that I won't accomplish everything I want to accomplish with one
issue. I have a lot of ideas that I wanna put into play. But, I can't do it
all in a single issue. So, SPOTLIGHT is actually a work in progress. The
first issue will simply be a sign of what's to come in the future. We'll
keep you posted on our progress in the print world as well.
NOTE: "Band Of The Month" was something I used to do with my previous
mailing list and, with this issue, I've decided to bring it back. It will
be a regular feature in future newsletters. Also, coming next month will be
another new feature, "One From The Vault." And, as you can see, we have two
contests featured this month. For those of you who wish to donate CD's or
prize packages for future newsletters, please get in touch and let us know
what you wanna do and we'll get it done.
Send press kits, job offers, nude pictures and everything else but the
kitchen sink to: Spotlight c/o Paul Autry, P.O. Box 227, Shamokin Pa. 17872