"The Pack"

A couple years back, I found an amazing artist and immediately fell in love with what I heard; her name is Eline Chiara.

Her incredible range and power; combined with soft wispy vocals are what attracted me to her music.   She has similarities with Gisel de Marco with repect to style, passion, and genre…and because of that…I was happy she joined “The Pack”.

Now she is ready to produce her debut album and not only can you pre-order it and be a part of it; you can also help make her dream come true by supporting her Pledge Music Project.

Katie Thompson continues to stir things up in the music world and now, she is a top contender in the “Hossey Music Award Song Of The Year” contest.

Her song, “Good As Gold” is currently in the top ten of the voting and if she can climb into the top 5 by the last Saturday in April, she will be headed to The Finals in December.  This would be a wonderful recognition for Katie and as one of her biggest fans, I am calling out for everyone to rally behind her for the next 13 days and vote for her.

Voting is simple.  Just go to the voting page; find her name; place a check mark in the box next to her name; and click the vote button.  If you like the video [below], which is the music video for “Good As Gold“, please leave a comment after you vote, and if you would really like to help, you can use this URL, http://bit.ly/Vote4KatieThompson, to include in your Tweets asking your followers to jump on board.  Let’s vote Katie to the top!!

It’s official!!!  The countdown to BONNIE’s listening session has just started!

On November 3, 2009, BONNIE became the 35th Sellaband Recording Artists as 231 investors from around the world believed in them and took them to their dream.

Now, their album is finished and the listening session will be coming soon! In the meantime, enjoy a taste of what to expect.

Aryn Michelle is a Folgers Semi-Finalist!

Aryn has been named a top 10 semi-finalist in the Folgers national jingle writing contest!   Wooooo Hooooo!!!!!!!  Remember last Autumn, when she WON the Chic-a-fillet Jingle Contest?  Well, she’s doing it again and SHE NEEDS OUR HELP to advance to become one of the top 5 finalists.

Online voting begins TODAY and goes everyday until April 25th; you have to do a quick registration to vote.  YOU CAN VOTE EVERYDAY, and there’s a big incentive for you to do so.  Every single day of voting Folgers will be giving away 5 $100 gift cards to the voters that day and there will be a one time prize drawing of $10,000 just for voting!

So please vote everyday and forward the voting link to everyone you know!  If Aryn makes the top 5 finalists, she will travel to New York City to compete LIVE in front of a panel of judges; PLUS, she will also have the opportunity of performing one of her original songs for them!  How cool is that???   Please join me in helping Aryn win by posting the link in Facebook, Twitter…anywhere you have a presence and please tell your friends to vote for her!

VOTE NOW
http://www.bestpartofwakinup.com/vote-for-your-favorite-semifinalist/729467

If you would like Aryn to send you a reminder email everyday so you remember to vote, please let her know you’d like to be added to the “reminder” list by shooting her a quick email, info@arynmichelle.com

Let’s get our Girl in the FINALS!!!!

Wolfman

As I listened to Lindy Waldeck’s newest song, “Picture Book”, I wondered if it was born from her recent life experiences. I say that, because the lyrics were so beautifully written and what’s even more important is, millions of people will be able to identify with “Picture Book” during these incredibly difficult times around the planet. With so many horrible events, catastrophies, and the world economy in turmoil…”Picture Book” is the perfect remedy to forget about these difficult times.

For those of you who have not heard this beautifully written song, please take a moment, I think you will be pleasantly surprised and happy you did. The song is located at the bottom of her play list and in just a few short days, since she first added it, 385 people have listened to it! If you like it, please support Lindy. With just 604 parts remaining, it would be a wonderful gift to this deserving artist to see more people jump on board and support her. All it takes is for 604 new people to invest just €7.88/$11.09 USD each and then Lindy will be on her way to the studio. This lady is ready to record; but she needs our help. Will you join her this weekend? I would be tickled pink if you do and it would be a very bright light in her life.

Personally, I love everythng about Lindy Waldeck; first and foremost, she’s a wonderful human being who puts friends and family first. Secondly, with her Jazz influences, the melodies she sings are very, very nice…she just needs a professional production to put the polish on her songs.

I would love to see 604 new people join her wonderful family; you’ll be happy you did. It’s more than just her music…it’s about becoming a part of her life. I guarantee if you do, she will show you how much your friendship and belief in her means…so will I.

Thank you all for taking the time to consider her project.

Wolfman

On February 06, 2008, Apryl Evans began her journey on Sellaband.com, a crowd funding website bringing musicians and music-loving investors together.  During the summer of 2009, Sellaband started experiencing problems with their website and later, financial problems.  On Feb 23, 2010, the company declared bankruptcy; ultimately causing many people to leave the site, artists and investors alike.  Soon after, the company was brought back to life by a German investor and the site picked up steam again.  Through all this turmoil, Apryl never gave up…she persevered and now, she can look back and reflect on what was meant to be.

On November 24, 2009, I  heard “I Shouldn’t” for the first time and instantly, I was blown away with the passion and depth Apryl injected into this incredible song.  I immediately invested my first 10 parts.  Between that time and now, I have backed this amazing artist whole heartedly.  Apryl stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard “I Shouldn’t”…it’s one of those rare songs that every artist strives to write and sing…but never attain.  It was obvious to me that this song came deep from within and carries a special meaning to her as she delivers the lyrics with emotions so strongly, it draws you in…and reminds the listener of times when they experienced similar feelings.

Apryl’s velvety smooth voice and beautiful Vibrato and Tremolo transferred her emotions straight to my heart, especially when she finished her message with her soft and wispy voice.  I was entranced in a sea of sympathy and found myself hurting for her…it is an incredibly powerful and moving piece.

“I Shouldn’t” is a masterpiece that is a “Must Have” for everyone’s music library.  For me, “I Shouldn’t” is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard by ANY artist and it deserves world-wide recognition…it’s that good!  Songs of this quality, those capable of bringing out emotions from inside of the listener that have been dormant, are very rare…

Apryl received numerous accolades for her vocal prowess and was a finalist in the critically acclaimed competition, “New York City Idol“, which was featured in the New York Daily News.   She is currently in regular rotation on multiple radio stations and has been a featured guest on Central Jersey’s Blue Colt Radio and Hear New Brunswick Radio Station.  You will be able to read Apryl Evans’  interview in the archives of DAM Magazine.

I, and the rest of the Pack are proud of Apryl…now she heads to the recording studio, to bring us an album that will surely help put her on the map.

As is our tradition here…please enjoy this celebratory video; a tribute to Apryl’s accomplishment, as well as the rest of “The Pack“.

Wolfman

It’s been a long hard journey for Poland’s Anne Marie Sunshine; but now it’s official…she just became the 61st artist out of thousands to complete a fan funded album project on Sellaband.com.

Anne joined Sellaband on November 28, 2007 and weathered the site’s bankruptcy in 2010 and the many changes affecting the site’s overall performance.  With her accomplishment, Anne becomes the 13th Pack artist to achieve this amazing goal.

The Pack artists now comprise 21.3% of all Sellaband recording artists…quite impressive indeed!

Personally, I think it speaks volumes to the quality of their music and talent as musicians.

As it is our tradition, I now invite you to watch the official congratulatory video celebrating Anne’s incredible achievement.

Esperanza Spalding Holding her Grammy

Independent Music got a huge boost with this year’s Grammy award for Best New Artist as unsigned artist Esperanza Spalding beat out the well-know artist Justin Bieber, as well as the high-profile artists Drake and Florence & the Machine.  Living in Los Angeles, the home of the Grammy’s, I caught a story on one of our local television stations about Esperanza Spalding.  As it turns out, this lady is quite talented and has taught herself to play many instruments; but ultimately settled on playing the double bass at the age of 16.

Winning a Grammy is a remarkable accomplishment and one that few artists ever experience, let alone an independent 26-year-old jazz bassist and singer.  In fact, according to the report I watched on ABC News, Esperanza Spalding’s Grammy for Best New Artist was the first time ANY Jazz artist has won the Best New Artist category.

As a huge supporter of a collection of Independent artists known as “The Pack”, I was quite impressed and excited with Esperanza’s Grammy.  Why?  Because her success proves that an artist DOES NOT necessarily need to be signed with a big label or have corporate ties to succeed.  What I did learn, however, is there were a few key ingredients that may have helped her win.  You see, Esperanza is a musical prodigy and through the years, she has acquired some famous fans and many critics have applauded her music.

“Esperanza first started playing when she was just 4 years of age and within on year, at the age of 5, she joined the Chamber Music Society of Oregon, in the United States. At the age of 20, she became the youngest faculty member at the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

While she won the best new artist award this year, she’s been around for a while. “Esperanza,” her 2008 album, spent more than 70 weeks on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and was the most successful internationally selling debut that year. She recorded her first album, “Junjo,” in 2006. ” (ABC News, February 14, 2011)

50K Music Magazine is all about supporting independent music and since I have the same passion, 50K Music Magazine and I thought it would be a natural fit to team up and help promote the  indie artists we support. Personally, I am looking forward to this new collaborative effort.  It’s a win/win for everyone and with a little creativity and a lot of hard work…who knows, one of the artists we support may be on that stage one day…holding a Grammy.

Anyone who knows me understands the passion I have for “The Pack”.  I am proud of these artists; but completely devoted to them as well.  They are all exceptionally talented, intelligent, and super hard-working artists who all deserve out support.

Beginning in November of 2010, Radio Enkhuizen out of the Netherlands started playing music by “The Pack” on a regular basis and just last week, another radio station, Vixen FM, The Fox’s Den Radio ProgrammeVixen 101 FM out of England welcomed their music, as they played songs by 9 of the artists.  Next week, they will play music by the other artists. Additionally, I’ve submitted a couple of CDs to NPR radio from the United States…the world’s largest radio station and a HUGE supporter of ALL music.  Next, I’ll be shooting for Los Angeles radio stations…which would be the ultimate prize!  People in Los Angeles spend a great deal of time in their cars and because of this…radio is a major part of the LA lifestyle.

It’s all about reaching out to as many people as possible; because if the music is good, people will not only request it…they will buy it.

To everyone who supports independent music…thank you!  Collectively, we can all make a difference…it’s our choice.

-Wolfman

Just a couple days back, Katie Thompson released her single “Good As Gold” worldwide and it has just topped the iTunes Country Charts in New Zealand!

Congratulations Katie!!!

January 28, Radio Enkhuizen will be showcasing the world-class music of “The Pack” as they fill the airwaves with 3 awesome hours of music.

The show begins at:

* 21.00 CET
* 3:00 PM EST
* 12:00 PM PST

And on Saturday, January 15, 2011

* 4:00 AM in Perth, Australia
* 9:00 AM in New Zealand

About an hour before the show, you will be able to view the playlist at Beach Radio.  This is going to be a memorable broadcast!  If you live in the Netherlands, turn your radio dial to 107.1 FM and everywhere else, go to radioenkhuizen.nl and click “Live Radio” in the left sidebar.

See ya there!