Friday, April 8, 2011

MTHDS - "Positive Movement"

The video "Positive Movement" from Colorado based hip hop and funk group MTHDS (Music That Heightens Different Senses) features the six member group (L, Don Dilly, Johnny, Neil, Chip and Durtee) dressed as zombies, bloodied by the battle of life. But a funky beat, great harmony and absolutely positive lyrics soon reveal the intended message: "Never in my life did I imagine there'd be peace/In a world of poverty and constant tragedy/Then I found music and used it as release/Started a movement and started spreading positivity". The desire for positivity and unity, the ultimate theme of the video and song, are creatively expressed in a manner that captures and hold the viewer's attention. With pop/hip hop/rock influences, the video shows the group members in various acts of kindness and humanity – everything from rescuing a cat and returning it to its owner, to a scene where a mass of people are engaged in fellowship and unity, and finally to clips of the band playing live. It's a great song, a great video, and a message that needs to be spread widely and continuously.

The video was filmed, directed and produced by Ryan Gaddis, Tyler Kellogg, Laura Hemler, and Joe Deats (CAM Records/UCD).


Watch It On MusicDishTV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwlNGIhGkN8

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Smooth Jazz Artist Kenny Love Brings Listeners On A "Voyage To Serenity"


Jazz/World recording artist Kenny Love has released "Voyage To Serenity," the first track from his upcoming full-length compilation release entitled "cAsE sEnSiTiVe," which is slated for release this summer. Kenny's musical influences include The Crusaders, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Herbie Hancock, Lenny White, and Donald Byrd.

"Voyage To Serenity" is available now at the following stores:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/voyage-to-serenity-single/
http://www.emusic.com/album/Kenny-Love-Voyage-To-Serenity-MP3-Download/12461851.html
http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-To-Serenity/dp/B004TRMVL6/
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kennylove14

"Voyage To Serenity" begins with chimes and a soft piano solo that leads into a smooth jazz fusion that changes, and yet stays the same in its underlying melody. A nice saxophone lead carries this tune, which is well accompanied by keyboards and bass rifts, bringing about a melancholic state of mind. It more than meets its goal of soothing the listener, almost compelling one to relax with thoughts of chardonnay, scented candles, and satin sheets. Kenny sees the track through to completion in style, singing the vocal chant at its end.

Jazz/World recording artist Kenny Love has worn many hats in the musical arena -- international radio/video promoter, media publicist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. A native of Texas, Kenny began his venture into the world of music with the trumpet, and received musical training from 1970-1976 while in elementary, junior high, and high school, eventually adding the bass guitar, strings, piano, and an extensive study of music composition to his repertoire. He spent two years at Prairie View A&M University in Texas as a Music Education Major. At the completion of his sophomore year, he joined and spent four years in the Army, after which time he became an independent recording artist. Kenny performed with several bands in Texas and Germany over the years, and began his career as a radio/video promoter and media publicist in 1991 after successfully marketing, promoting, and publicizing his first recording independently that year. He formally retired in 2010 to return to his first loves of music composition and music production. Kenny released "All Of My Love," and "Just Want To Dance (With You)," in 1991 and "Vampire Love" in 2003, all of which received international accolades.

http://www.kennylovejazz.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kenny-Love-Jazz/183447328356655
http://twitter.com/Jazzman795
http://www.myspace.com/KennyLoveJazz


Voyage To Serenity
http://official.fm/tracks/231136

Avril Lavigne Immersed In 3D Video At Steele Studios


Now is the time for enterprising music producers to head in a new direction – stereoscopic 3D video.

With the coming of 3D home entertainment systems and content providers, 3D projects are no longer reserved for blockbuster films, animated features and pop concerts.

In fact, music video is fast becoming a proving ground for innovative directors and post production professionals specializing in stereo 3D.

STEELE Studios is leading the charge. The 15-year-old post production company offers a full range of post services and for Avril Lavigne's new video, supporting her hit song and new album of the same name - "What the Hell," STEELE Studios gave its all.

When the call came, Jerry and Jo Steele (founders of STEELE Studios) were ready -- they already had some big-name 3D video work under their belts. "Last year we completed a 3D video featuring Shakira and Freshly Ground for the opening ceremony of the World Cup soccer competition," says Jerry Steele. "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" was the official theme song of FIFA's 2010 World Cup. Both directed by Marcus Raboy and production company DNA" "Waka Waka" was a big production, even in 2D.

Besides serving as online editor on "What the Hell," Jerry Steele was also in charge of the video's highly detailed stereo 3D work. He used Steele's Quantel Pablo 4K with Stereo 3D for stereoscopic DI, conform and convergence work. STEELE upgraded early in 2010 to Pablo Stereo 3D with an eye toward doing more 3D work like Shakira's World Cup video. "We added the stereo option at that time as we were starting to see a real shift into the 3D arena," says Steele.

Meanwhile, the post process in Pablo, although somewhat simplified, is still complex, Steele says. "Left and right eyes are ingested and then registered for linearity, key-stoning and color differences. This is still an artist-driven process and requires acute attention to detail to complete."

Steele appreciated working again with director Raboy. "Marcus has received worldwide recognition as the go-to guy for 3D music videos," Steele says. "He is supremely patient and fully understands the complexities and pitfalls of working in 3D. We have established a great working relationship and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him on his projects."

Jerry Steele also served as colorist, beauty and FX artist. "Beauty"? Yes - similar to the beautification techniques used in still photography, it's become an important post-production niche in Hollywood. "We have developed techniques over the last 15 years to bring still-photography results to moving images," says Steele. "It is complex and requires many hours of tracking and compositing to achieve. We are recognized as specialists in this field and have supplied services to all of the most recognized faces in the entertainment industry."

Immerse in 3D at home

Where is 3D production for home television heading? Jerry Steele believes that more 3D productions, like "What the Hell," will offer a subtler, richer "immersive" experience. The entire Lavigne video is in 3D.

It comprises five sequences including a joyride in a taxi, a street basketball game and a live performance and the 3D was prepared for each individually. Steele allows that there were a few occasions where the 3D effect was aimed at "satisfying audiences still requiring the wow factor." He says music videos "have always represented a playground creatively to directors and talent and it is from here that we anticipate the most exciting 3D to emerge.
There are now a handful of 3D channels airing around the globe -- each one of these channels is clamoring for content."

Steele continues, "3D is definitely the next big thing in TV. It will spur the arrival of many new channels and I believe it will revolutionize the gaming industry more than any other technological development before it. Many post houses still believe it's a fad and will not adopt the new technology until it has proven itself industry wide. Others, like ourselves, recognize the potential and will continue to embrace changing technologies and strive to remain at the tip of the sword."

NOTE:

If you have DirecTV, then you can tune into 3Net – the new 24/7 3D network – and see the full 3D version of Lavigne's video now.

As for 3Net – it is itself a brand new entry in the stereo TV race – a co-venture of Sony, Discovery and IMAX. The 24/7 3D network is the first 24/7 fully programmed, general entertainment 3D television network in the U.S. The channel will feature the world's largest library of native 3D television content and who do you think created the 3D promos for the launch of 3Net? Yup, STEELE Studios but more on that coming soon!

As for the standard-definition 2D iteration, also finished by STEELE Studios, Lavigne and her on-camera antics were viewed over20 million times on YouTube alone in the video's first few weeks!

Tech Sidebar

STEELE Studios is convinced that stereo 3D for home entertainment is the next must-have. The post production company's founders, Jo and Jerry Steele, are also convinced that their Quantel Pablo system, with stereoscopic 3D option, is the best way to finish a project in stereo, including color grading.

"In order to achieve a perfect Stereo3D image both the left and right eyes need to be as similar as possible," says Jerry Steele. "The only difference should be the inter-ocular distance. Variations in color and geometry tend to deteriorate the 3D imagery and create optical conflicts. We have a superlative color correction toolset in Pablo that is designed specifically for the manipulation of color for 3D and 2D. Matching color is time-consuming and potentially frustrating but made easier with real-time rendering and unlimited cascades of color settings that can be shared across timelines." Director Marcus Raboy shot "What the Hell" in digital and Steele worked from HDCam SR masters.

Pablo gave Steele access to all procedures required for finishing both 2D and 3D versions. "With our system, we can do everything in one box without the need for any outsourcing. Graphics, beauty, online, color correction, effects, dust-busting, cleanup and mastering all on one platform." Since "What the Hell" was designed primarily for TV release and not theaters the depth budget was kept low with the majority of convergences occurring on or behind the screen plane.

While the STEELE Studios' Pablo system can handle 4K, their work on Avril Lavigne's "What the Hell" was mastered in 1080pHD.

When you take into account the massive digital assets required for both eyes, the bandwidth was almost 4K. "4K is four times larger than 2K which is approximately 8 times larger than SD," says Steele. "Still, the whole project on Avril filled about 20 percent of the available space on the Pablo."

Steele delivered both 2D and 3D versions of "What the Hell" in HDCam SR. "We delivered dual-stream 4:2:2 for the 3D version in addition to mastering left and right eyes separately to SR." Steele is well aware of third-party software options for stereo 3D effects but "with the rendering power and the ability to output two full-resolution streams simultaneously, we already have what we need"

Tony Adamo On SoulTracks


"In a musical world full of posturing and posing, Tony Adamo is the real thing. An artist who just ooozes cool, he's been pleasing West Coast aurdiences for awhile with his absolutely authentic sound.

Tony has a hot new album that gives his jazzy take on songs old and new, and we're absolutely loving his cover of Tower of Power's great song, "What Is Hip?" He makes the song his own and takes us along for this jazzy ride. So we're very happy to feature "What Is Hip?" as this month's Choice Track Free Download. We know you're going to love and will want to hear more from Tony Adamo." Soultracks.com

The Most Recent Los Marijuanos Album, Trippin On Tricombs


The most recent Los Marijuanos album, Trippin On Tricombs, is a deluxe full length thirty (30) song CD that includes the hit song, "Summertime," is in stores now!

"Thumbs Up" to the Sunset Urban label for releasing the brand new thirty (30) song CD, Trippin On Tricombs, by Los Marijuanos!

Sunset (Urban) has the Trippin On Tricombs CD in stores now, and the new Los Marijuanos single, "Summertime" is getting radio play all over the world. The song is also gaining licensing that includes placement in films, in stores and on Soundtrack CDs (How Weed Won The West Soundtrack CD) giving the hip-hop / rock band the ability to work the new CD worldwide, let alone directly to the U.S. marketplace.

It's not that the world is not prepared for another hardcore rock / hip-hop fusion band, it’s just that Trippin On Tricombs CD is not only filled with songs that cross over many genres of music, there are many excerpts by "Radical Russ" while the band moves in and out of catchy and downright melodic songs throughout the entire CD. The album bounces back and forth from songs to making its statement though what are called, NORML (National Organization Reform of Marijuana Laws) facts and figures again, narrated by none other than Radical Russ (10 Facts Total). The album is in one respect, a straight-ahead hip hop album mixed with some great funk and some rock, starting with "Smokin La La La," to the fun, deep funky hit single, "Summertime," along with being filled with other fun songs like "Good For The Soul" and "Fire" by the band.

"Summertime" pairs a funk-rock base with a hip-hop pomposity, and the Los Marijuanos’ prevalent revelation is shown throughout the entire concept of the Trippin On Tricombs CD. "Let’s Smoke," a track that features great vox, percussion and tasteful guitar work, the majority of the lyrics address issues relating to Marijuana legalization and marijuana Laws, a powerful message is delivered in "Hemp Will Save The World." "All of the songs by the band (Los Marijuanos) send a huge and direct statement addressing prohibition today," says label head, Don Lichterman. More songs on the CD like "Smoke Session" ands "Buddha’s Choice" are the perfect choice for songs to be placed on the full length CD, and they all fit the group's overall style and sense of direction. (Don) Lichterman says that "Los Marijuanos is a band that has a musical variety that crosses over a few formats in the music industry" and he then says that "we also have a "hit" with Summertime."

Though the group first gained international attention, critical acclaim while turning heads with its overall message and with its brand name (Los "Marijuanos"); the irony is that it has a radio friendly song as the first single on this full length CD ("Summertime". Los Marijuanos has also put out other albums since the early 00’s, and (Don) Lichterman with his label now has a band that is no doubt considered to be an infectious amalgam of funk, reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, and rock fused material has resulted in a progressive sound that is perfect for what is happening socially around the world. The latest release by Los Marijuanos, Trippin On Tricombs, offers its fans songs with catchy rhythms, great hip-hop with strong, unique vocals that toggle amid a great rap and a great vocal pattern. Overall, if you take into consideration all of the stylistic ability with Los Marijuanos, the band continues to maintain not only the ability to write and produce songs today, the band also seems to relay what is an a direct musical philosophy to make a point within its music.
About Sunset Urban Records
Sunset is a privately owned Don Lichterman Company. Sunset is one of the leading independent record labels and entertainment companies in the world. Sunset’s Entertainment Companies, and its global operation, acquire, develop, and distribute major music recording artists, home visual entertainment products, online-digital entertainment technologies and music and filmed entertainment worldwide. Sunset’s four major divisions are the Sunset Distributed Labels, the Radio Sunset Network, the Sunset Vending Co., and the Sunset Film Entertainment Division.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

West Coast Hip-Hop Legend Big Hutch Set To Release Long Awaiting Album "Only God Can Judge Me"


20 years after releasing his debut Platinum selling album with group Above The Law entitled "Livin' Like Hustlers," the "Dr. Dre understudy" and G-Funk originator Big Hutch a.k.a. Cold 187um sets out to retain his Platinum status with his highly anticipated album release entitled "Only God Can Judge Me" releasing on April 26, 2011 through Big Hutch's own West World Records label and distributed by Big Shot Music Group/Empire Distribution.

Big Hutch made history working alongside the late Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, NWA, D.O.C., J.J. Fad and is known for discovering rap lyricist Crooked I and the group 213, which members were made up of Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and the late Nate Dogg. Also, for about two years, Big Hutch was made V.P. of the infamous Death Row Records by then music mogul Suge Knight, replacing label mate Daz Dilligner, and was the music supervisor for the late 2 Pac's "Till The End of Time" album and the Outlaws's E.D.I. Hutch produced, remixed, mixed and appeared on the double-disc set, which has sold more than 1.6 million copies, according to SoundScan, all the while still pushing his group Above The Law that consisted of childhood friends KMG and DJ K-Oss from Pomona California. After serving time in prison for drug related offenses in 2004, Big Hutch released yet another solo album entitled "Fresh Out The Pen" once again staying true and tending to his long time fans. Now, with a new outlook on the music business of today and concentrating solely on West World Records, Big Hutch has teamed up with music marketing strategist Michael "Big Shot" Oronde Wright, whom also is the C.E.O. of the Big Shot Music Group record label, and with both labels working in conjunction, with the history of the one and the music marketing expertise of the other, makes for the ultimate machine to continue the legacy of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records and generate the success in the manner of the original Death Row Records. The "Only God Can Judge Me" album is just the album to do such a thing. The album features upcoming West World Records artists as well as newly reformed group and label mate LeVert 2 on the titled track "Let's Get Neked" featuring original LeVert legend Marc Gordon and LeVert 2 newcomer Blaq Rose. Big Hutch will be leading the album off with his hit single entitled "Lord Have Mercy" along with a video that was direct by Big Hutch himself. For a snippet preview of the album, log onto www.nwmppromo.com/ogbighutch. Album releases April 26, 2011 and will be distributed by Empire Distribution. For more information, log onto www.bigshotmusic.net.

Monday, April 4, 2011

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC, DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS AND FAN TRAIL UNVEIL 'ACM AWARDS' APP FOR IPHONE AND IPOD TOUCH

The Academy of Country Music, dick clark productions and FanTrail are proud to announce that their ACM Awards App for iPhone and iPod touch, a celebration of the 46th Academy of Country Music Awards, is now available on the App Store. This year's awards ceremony, hosted by country music stars Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton and broadcasted by the CBS Television Network, will take place on Sunday, April 3 at 8:00 PM ET/delayed PT.

The ACM Awards App provides fans with direct access to their favorite artists on the night of the show through one of FanTrail’s innovative features called LoveMail. LoveMail for the ACM Awards will send users audio messages and event updates throughout the broadcast, allowing them to feel like part of the show.

This year, the show's producers, the Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions, wanted to utilize technology to enhance the fan experience on the night of the awards. Ariel Elazar of dick clark productions explains, "Technology is key in developing a deeper, more personal relationship between fans and artists; the ACM Awards App gives country music fans what they want – real-time audio messages and event updates from their favorite artists throughout the live show."

The ACM Awards App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/academy-country-music-awards/id428812698?mt=8&ls=1

About FanTrail- FanTrail was created by entrepreneurs Joel Rasmussen and Josh McClure. Joel Rasmussen is a writer, publisher, filmmaker and digital audio expert. His critically hailed film "Before the Music Dies", starring Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Questlove, Erykah Badu, and others was called "the most important film a music fan will ever see", by Lee Abrahms, CEO of XM Radio. Josh McClure is a technology entrepreneur with a widespread background ranging from military intelligence to the video game industry. Over the years, he has founded several technology firms including Agile Poet, the firm that developed the initial FanTrail prototype.

About dick clark productions, inc. –Founded in 1957, dick clark productions, inc. (dcp) is a leading independent producer of television programming. dcp produces perennial hits such as the "American Music Awards," "Golden Globe Awards," "Academy of Country Music Awards," and "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest." dcp also produces popular weekly television programming, including "So You Think You Can Dance," and owns and maintains one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment libraries, which includes more than 30 years of "American Bandstand" footage. For additional information about dcp, please visit www.dickclarkproductions.com

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