Be A Charity Case

Who comes to mind when you think of celebrity giving?  U2’s Bono perhaps (one of the featured givers on celebrity giving site Looking To The Stars), maybe even people like Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys giving up Twitter for a good cause now and then.  Don’t forget the golf tournaments and baby holding done by groups like Rascal Flatts.

Practical Presentation Pointers

Image is everything …
Put your best foot forward …
You only have one chance to make a first impression …

Sayings like this have been swirling around the world for centuries. Do we pay attention to them? Do they apply to someone trying to make their mark in the music business? Are we ready at all times to leave a lasting impression? Good or bad, the way we carry and present ourselves will leave a mark.

Work What Your Mama Gave Ya

Interesting title for what you are about to read… We are taught very basic skills from birth:

1. Say please and thank you
2. Mind your manners, be polite
3. Always be on time
4. Respect your elders
5. Encourage your friends

These life skills and guiding principals, along with many others I am sure, are instilled in us as children.  However somewhere between childhood and “know-it-all adulthood” people forget the simple graces of social interaction and begin to think that these rules don’t apply and that they can do it better.

What To Consider Before Going On Tour

Coming down from Pittsburgh, the “City That Rocks” as ranked by Esquire Magazine in 2004 at the following popular Pittsburgh music venues and clubs, Chet Vincent & The Big Bend make Music City, USA a stop on their Spring tour schedule.  Appearing at The End, Chet brings his vulnerable vocals and throwback lyrics to the music lovers of Nashville.

One As Beautiful As You

Growing up in high school I ran with the crowd that thought it was cool to listen to retro music.  Artists like James Taylor, Janis Joplin, and Don McLean.  Listening to this music takes me back to a time when I thought about life and all its possibilities.  The poetic lyrics allowed my mind to dive in to search for the story they are telling between the lines.

I remember Mr. Phillips, teacher from my Gifted and Talented class from grade 7 – 12.  He is one of the champions of my life.  He was so inspirational.  Learning and self-discovery “turned him on” and he gave that passion to us.  Whether is was a movie, a book, a poem, a song lyric, he always challenged us to go deeper.  “What else could it mean?”  In a literal world full of rules, regulations, and black & white answers, that class helped my mind break free of the obvious answers in life.

“Brick and Mortar and Love” Added to the Nashville Film Festival

Growing up in South Jersey, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a music business – it was just me and Barbara (Streisand that is) in my dining room with vinyl records and headphones. I just thought people sang through the radio and on stage. I never gave any mind to the massive machine behind the curtain. I wasn’t aware that you could track trends, study best practices, and redo what others had done before (only better) and rake in the big $$$.

"I Don’t Blog," Well Why Not?

Being new to blogs and blogging I am still learning about all the “ins and outs”. I regularly get into discussions with friends about blogs and you would be surprised at how many people say, “I don’t blog.” They go on to tell me they don’t understand it, don’t know how, and that it scares them.

Not really sure where the fear comes from.  But usually when something is new to a person, the lack of knowledge about the topic tends to leave their conclusions based on hearsay and incorrect information.  Blogs, in their most primitive forms have been around since 1979.  That might seem impossible since the internet was only at its beginnings and wasn’t widely accessible then, but I am getting ahead of myself.  Lets talk about what a blog is.

Hope For Music: The DIY Generation

“If the milk industry can make their product seem sexy and increase consumer demand, there must be hope for music.” Gary Arnold, Merchandising Manager, Best Buy.  Using that logic, the hope that Spring evokes in all of us should be doubled in the hearts of those fighting the good fight in the ever changing landscape of the music business.

RELEASE: The Vespers To Release “The Fourth Wall” April 3rd

Two Sisters, Two Brothers – Create Infectious Folk-Pop.

The Vespers are one of those lucky young bands who are becoming a word of mouth sensation though they’ve only quietly self-released one record. With two sisters on lead vocals and two brothers filling out the sound, the foursome are distinguished by an arsenal of instruments and the kind of harmony only siblings can create. They have toured from Boston to Austin, hitting everything from festivals to college campuses. On The Fourth Wall out April 3rd, they

Catch Up On The Voice Before Tomorrow’s Show

If you are watching season 2 of The Voice, you know that part 2 of the battle rounds recently delivered gymnastic vocal runs, cracked high notes, and tips from the elusive “How to Be Successful in the Music Business” handbook.  We can rest assured that at this point everyone is talented, but can they handle the rigorous competition and budding personality disorders contracted from reality TV?