Archive for August, 2008
Do you have a story to tell?
So I’m hooked on this new t.v. show called Z-Rock on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). It’s funny and at times appears to be real. What is it about? Well, it’s about a heavy metal rock band that happens to be a kiddie band by day (it pays the bills, apparently).
It’s funny and endearing and sometimes offensive, but always more or less pretty close to the truth of what it’s like to have a band (although maybe some elements are glorified a bit).
And it’s also based on a true story. The guys in the show? They’re really that band. They spend their nights rocking out in the clubs and their days playing birthday parties for children.
Someone thought their story was compelling enough to give them their own t.v. show.
Do you have an interesting story about your act or band? If so, tell it! You’d be surprised at how interesting it just might be…
Here’s a challenge – take something that’s happened to you as a band and re-enact it for a video. Throw the video up on YouTube and let the fans see into one of your stories. Make it entertaining and it could very well go viral.
Josh Kelley on ABC News
Sunrise client Josh Kelley was featured on ABC News, discussing his new album “Backwoods” and life with Katherine Heigl.
Check out the video here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5604016
Music in Video Games
I promised a post about this a few weeks ago, I believe, and I’m finally getting around to it.
This is basically in response to a blog that Bob Lefsetz wrote: Rock Band/Guitar Hero. For once, I actually find myself disagreeing with Bob. He seems to think that music in video gaming is more of a fad and that it’s just that – a game. I couldn’t disagree more.
Me? I see it as a musical opportunity.
First of all, some background information on myself. I am an avid video gamer and have been since Pong. No, seriously, I’m not kidding. I owned Pong. And then there was the Atari system (remember Pitfall?), followed by iterations of Nintendo, Sega, Playstation and XBox. At some point, I have owned nearly every major gaming console. I also have one handheld – a Nintendo DS. When I’m not working, I’m probably gaming.
When it comes to music and gaming, the first game to really stand out for me was Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Remember that one? With the 80′s music? The 80′s was my decade, so I actually bought that game FOR the music. This game took commercial music and integrated it into the gaming experience in a way that no one had seen before. As far as I’m concerned, this was the beginning of music being integrated into gaming.
Of course, now, we have games that allow us to be part of the music itself. Games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. These games give those of us who have never figured out how to play rock instruments a chance to get our feet wet and pretend to be rock stars. And those games took off. Why? The music! And the wonderful thing about these games is that new music is being consistently made available for them as downloadable content.
This makes the games more about music than gaming, in my opinion. This doesn’t encourage people to be lazy and not learn instruments, as Bob states. People who have a passion for music are going to learn to play and write and sing outside of a video gaming environment.
I think that It’s an entirely new way to interact with music!
Now just think what this could mean. I believe that it won’t be long before any band or musician will be able to upload content for users of these games. Think of the exposure you could get for your act through an avenue like this. Not only would people be hearing your music for the first time, but they would be experiencing it in a way that wasn’t available even several years ago. And in doing so, that music stays more firmly planted in their minds than if they’d heard a song on the radio. And at the same time, users are paying for that downloadable content, so there’s a profit to be earned, too.
It’s already begun… At the E3 Convention this year, Activision, the makers of Guitar Hero, announced that Guitar Hero: World Tour will have its own music studio where users can create their own music and upload it to the commuinity to be heard and rated. The studio provides a large array of mixing and editing tools. It could very well become a place where new musical talent is discovered.
I know if I were a musician, I’d be jumping all over that.
Any new medium you can find for your music is good. That’s how I see it.
RIP Isaac Hayes
I grew up very close to the Memphis music scene and have recently moved back to this particular area. So it is with great sadness that I read about the death of Isaac Hayes. He was a musical icon, and also the voice of Chef on “South Park.”
He also once had a really good restaurant/music venue in Memphis where the catfish sandwich was my favorite.
He will be missed.
Welcome to our New Website
Welcome to our new website. We hope you like it. We’ve changed a few things around, but all in all, the information you’re seeking should be readily available.
We’d love to hear what you think. Leave us a comment here on the blog!
Also, congratulations to Taxi Doll for their #5 song “Be With You” on the UK Billboard charts.