THE SPOTLIGHT: FEBRUARY, 2004
SPOTLIGHT: FEBRUARY, 2004
This issue is brought to you by Rainmaker Music Publicity...Indie before
Indie was cool. Visit http://www.rainmakerpublicity.com or call toll free
1-888-965-5556.
"It's my life...and I'll do what I wanna do!" (Wendy O. Williams)
Over two hundred thousand people have nothing better to do than complain
that Janet Jackson showed her boob on national television...and people are
STILL talking about this! Go to a public pool on a hot summer day and you
can see more boob than Janet had to offer, that's for sure. Reality
check...it was NO BIG DEAL! You don't mind watching a bunch of grown men
slappin' each other on the ass when they score a touchdown though, do you?
People need to wake up and realize that Mr. Rogers is dead and we're no
longer living in his neighborhood. NOBODY is perfect and I'm sure we all do
stuff that might offend other people. So, take a pill and get over it!
Remember...he who is without sin, cast the first stone!
JANET JACKSON: http://www.janet-jackson.com
Last year, The Millennium Music Conference featured over 300 bands on 28
different stages in the Harrisburg area. MMC8 is starting to take shape.
Some names to be mentioned so far include Cori Yarckin (FL), Kimmy & Klasse
(MD), Lustra (CA), Negative Space (PA), Raisin Hill (CT), Superkollider
(MA), The Collective (PA) and Tammy Raybould from Canada! The website has
everything you need to know. So, be sure to check it out and get involved!
MMC8 2004: http://musicconference.net
I haven't done much with the SPOTLIGHT online group lately. I need to get
on there and add some more stuff for you to check out. But, we've got a lot
of people posting their news now, which is a good thing. Like I said
before, it's more or less just a message board for us, where people can go
to check out what's happening with the people we feature in these
newsletters. Be sure to check us out and for all of you who haven't done it
yet, add spotlight_magazine@yahoogroups.com to your mailing list. When you
send a message to that address, it goes right to our group and the people
who are on the SPOTLIGHT mailing list can check it out!!!
SPOTLIGHT GROUP: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/spotlight_magazine
I'm not sure how I found the Birmingham Music Network. It doesn't really
matter because it's still something I'd like to pass on to you. Band,
musician, record label, fanzine editor, no matter what you are, you can get
on here and add your information, which is ALWAYS a good thing. The more
people who know about you, the better.
BMN: http://www.birminghammusicnetwork.com
When I recieved the Call Me Alice CD, "Sweet New Disease," it was a nice
suprise. I'm not too fond of electronic/dance music, some of which can be
found on this release. But, there's enough rock here to capture my
attention and keep me listening. I'm not sure if I understand the whole
"concept" of the band. You'd have to check out their website to see what
I'm talking about. But, I thought the music was pretty cool and that's all
that's important to me. I'll say this, they're following their own path and
doing something different and that's something that I can totally
appreciate. Their music might not be for everyone. But, it's worth checking
out at least once. You never know...you might end up becoming a fan. I know
I like it!
CALL ME ALICE: http://www.callmealice.com
I was checkin out the Alexa's Wish web page and I noticed that someone used
the term "indie rock bliss" and, after listening to "Whatever" a number of
times, I'd be quick to agree with that. Of course, they're a rock band.
But, there seems to be a little more to their sound that I can't quite put
my finger on. However, I do get the feeling that they're all about having
fun. I like music that doesn't require much thought. I like being able to
throw a CD into my player and saying, "Woah, that's pretty cool!" When you
know you're gonna like something before you even get through the first
song, that's a good thing...and that's the kind of vibe that Alexa's Wish
has. It's a fun album that's full of high energy rock 'n' roll. I don't
need to hype it up, it's cool and that's all there is to it!
ALEXA'S WISH: http://www.alexaswish.com
They've been compared to Tool, Faith No More and Type O Negative. But, once
you hear their new release, "3 Greater Than 4," you'll see that they've got
their own thing going on. I'm talking about eN-DoR-PHiN here, a name you
should remember because I have a feeling they're gonna become huge. One
might use the term metal to describe 'em. But, that's such a one sided word
and the music they create IS NOT one sided. That's part of the beauty of
this band. On the surface, they might have a sound that you're familiar
with. But, as you go through each song, you'll see there's more than one
layer to what they're doing. There's only six tunes on their new release.
But, it's a strong album that's well worth checking out. Believe that!
EN-DOR-PHIN: http://www.edpmusic.com
Got a "work in progress" CD from Becky D. and, let me tell you, I can't
wait until she puts out an actual album because it's gonna rock! The first
two songs that I heard, "Winners Are Losers Too" and "Don't You" will knock
your socks off! They've got this guitar rock/punk vibe that might bring The
Runaways to mind. They've got a raw sound, which I assume is because it's a
work in progress. But, I seriously hope she doesn't touch 'em up too much
because that raw sound, at least in my opinion, adds another quality to the
music. Gotta love it!!!
BECKY D: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/beckydskrashers
Going in a totally different direction is Deborah Bishop. According to her
bio, she's categorized as a new country pop artist. I just recieved her
current release, "Just My Alibi," which wasn't too bad. I gave it a quick
listen. But, I have yet to really sit down and go through the material the
way I usually do. But, I wanted to mention her in this issue. I'll have
something more in depth to say about her in the very near future. But, for
now, be sure to stop by her website to see what she has to offer.
DEBORAH BISHOP: http://www.deborahbishop.net
Don't wanna say a lot about Wiskerbisket right now either because I'm
working on an article on 'em for another column. But, I wanna plug 'em
because I've known these guys for quite some time and they finally sent me
some of their music to check out. Only four tunes on the disc. But, what's
cool is that they're not really loyal to one style of music, which might
explain why they're live show is something to talk about. No, I haven't
seen 'em live yet. But, they're making a name for themselves on the scene
as a dance/party rock band. So, I would assume it's part original, part
cover...and all fun!!! I need to get out and see what they're all about.
You need to cruise by their website and introduce yourself!
WISKERBISKET: http://www.wiskerbisket.com
The members of EDENPARK, a band which I promote on a regular basis, have
said that they're proud of their current release, "Journey To The Center Of
The Skull Mountain" because they felt that it was their strongest material
to date. The actual release is on VINYL and I don't have a record player.
So, I wasn't able to listen to the music until the band sent me a CD-R
copy, which is what they're now including in the release so EVERYONE can
check it out. Anyway, the title song and track two, "House Without
Hallways," are really kickin' tunes. I'd agree that this was their best
recording to date. But, they've got some new stuff that they're working on.
So, where gonna have to wait and see where they go from here!
EDENPARK: http://www.edenpark-pa.com
Before we go, I'd like to share the exciting news with you about our long
overdue print issue. I know I've been talking about this forever and it's
gonna take a little longer to complete. But, believe me, it will be well
worth the wait. Reason being...we're joining forces with ROCK BOTTOM ZINE
to bring you something more. You're gonna get one issue with two
publications. Marcy has her team of people who help her out and I have
mine. We're each doing our own thing and putting it all together. We both
feel this two in one publication will have quite an impact in the music
scene and we're really looking forward to sharing our debut issue with you.
Can you dig it? YEAH!!!
ROCK BOTTOM ZINE: http://www.rockbottomzine.com
Also, there's a new force to be found in The SPOTLIGHT. A rather unique
individual we call The Troll. We will bring you a brand new column called
"Talkin' Shit," which was inspired by the Martin Lawrence stand up comedy
album of the same name. The Troll will conduct interviews with various
bands that we promote/support. But, he's more interested in being totally
obnoxious and his questions are sure to entertain (and offend) a lot of
people! We'll be sure to let you know where you can check out his column
once he does it. So far, he's been in touch with Balistic, Edenpark and
Blue Taxi and they all decided to take the challenge of having a decent
conversation with him. The results of those conversations will make
interesting reading material, that's for sure!
Until next month...support local music!
SPOTLIGHT
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