Saturday, August 18, 2018

Rick Vines Debut Release "So Happy!"


"It gives me the strength to say... what do you know about it anyway" -­‐Rick Vines, "Secrets"



Songwriter Rick Vines strives for energy. He lives for the energy of the song, evoked by its meaning and its story. He cherishes the undefined, unpredictable beauty when people join together to create a moment, timeless in sound. And with his debut record So Happy, he realizes into tangible form his own energy poured forth into a

selection of ten songs that speak the truth.



He set out to make a record with wide appeal, not necessarily demanding of the listener's full attention. But should one choose to tune in and listen closely, one would find meaning and significance in the melody and lyrics. In this respect, So Happy succeeds.



The ten track album is clean and polished, but not so much as to dehumanize the sound. Recorded at IV Labs studio in Chicago (notable output from IV includes jam rock Umphrey's McGee, soul singer Cole DeGenova, and hip-­‐hop band Sidewalk Chalk) the record treats themes diverse and far-reaching, from self-referential social criticism and light-­‐hearted mocking to deeply personal stories of loss, faith, love and redemption. This range also expressed in the multiplicity of genres that appear here is juxtaposed with a consistent sonic palette, giving the record a cohesive and listenable character.



The record begins with the title track "So Happy," featuring Bassist Tadd Santos' driving bass line, pop style handclaps and a vocal performance reminiscent of an uplifting REM tune. But the happy go lucky sound masks the lyrical content, a commentary on selfie culture. The way we present ourselves on social media isolates us from one another, and even ourselves. How much time do we spend staring at smiling faces, erroneously assuming that the grass is really greener? How often do we tailor our own images so that someone else assumes the same? Examining the twisted hypocrisy of consumer culture, Vines accompanies this theme of isolation with "Giant Can Of Beans," employing this contrast of sonic style and lyrics: the sound is whimsical with washes of guitar and keyboard accompanied by melodic interjections from lead guitar. Still we keep "our doors locked tight." Vines uses his experience to craft a way of looking at the world, both thankful for the comforts of house and home while critical of the effacement that comes with that life.



To create So Happy Vines was joined by an all star cast of studio musicians with considerable accomplishments in their own right. Each gets time to shine. Guitarist Chris Siebold stands out on the Allman Brothers styled blues rock track treatment of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" where his thick tone and searing licks cut through the driving rhythm beds filled out with the Hammond B3 organ. His more sophisticated side shows up on the jazz ballad "Nights Like This," evoking Jim Hall or Barney Kessel with a classic archtop guitar sound alongside pianist Dave Gordon's chordal support. Drummer Gerald Dowd (holding a longtime post with prolific country singer-­‐songwriter Robbie Fulks) is heard in full force on the classic rock tune "D'Lila."



All of these elements are seamlessly woven under the direction of producer Anne Heaton. Vines reached out to Anne with his catalog of work in 2016. She weighed in on song and studio selection, as well as arranging, tracking, and even composing and performing original vocal parts. "In my heart of hearts I'm a collaborator," she says of her style, which often gives "more leeway to explore and break rules." Her presence is powerful on the lush vocal arrangements at the end of "I Can't Breathe," Vines' tribute to the tragedy of Eric Garner's choking death at the hands of New York City police officers. From the perspective of Garner, Vines sings "tell my wife and kids, I'm doing it for them." With a wife and child of his own (whose struggles and stories appear in the semi-autobiographical "Making My Way") Garner's death strikes close to home.



This debut record brings a heavy dose of disillusionment and self-deprecation, tempered by humor and hopefulness.



At times the record is sincere, personal, and deeply sensitive. Other times it is acerbic and incisive. Perhaps it is the force of years that allows for this double‐edged introspection. But this music can speak to song lovers anywhere, of any age. Some will nod in understanding or shake their heads in commiseration. Others may learn or be called to think about the world differently. Some may just sway back and forth while doing the dishes. "So Happy" is vital and important for all these contexts,


http://www.heymanrecords.com

http://bit.ly/2n2VwuE

Friday, August 17, 2018

IES 18 Explodes With WARPED Kevin Lyman’s 1st Appearance After 24 Year Run


WARPED Creator KEVIN LYMAN made IES - the INDIE SUMMIT, His FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE Since Final WARPED TOUR Show, & Receives 'TRAILBLAZER' AWARD, Along with MEGADETH's DAVID ELLEFSON, & 3 days of SUCCESS Panels-Workshops By Industry Leaders highlight a vital INDIE SUMMIT-I E S 18



Dateline : Los Angeles / N.Hollywood CA



The seventh annual IES - the INDIE ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT wrapped up another successful global Music & Entertainment conference Sunday evening August 12 in L.A. - in the entertainment capital of the World. Among the many highlights of the action packed 3-day summit of Music - Movies-TV - Touring & Tech, were WARPED creator KEVIN LYMAN making the INDIE SUMMIT as his first public appearance after wrapping the final show of the 24 year run as the 'world's biggest & longest running traveling alternative festival in the World'. The WARPED TOUR is historic in it's legacy in helping launch more current Superstars than any other tour or platform in history, including EMINEM, BLINK-182, KATY PERRY, TWENTYONE PILOTS, PANIC AT THE DISCO, BEBE REXHA, ALL TIME LOW, FALL OUT BOY, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, WEEZER, THE USED, NEW FOUND GLORY, PARAMORE & countless others! Kevin has been a longtime friend & supporter of IES founder/creator & 40 year industry innovator JAY WARSINSKE & was quick to jump on the opportunity to make the INDIE SUMMIT his first public appearance since getting home from the last ever show of the 24 year legendary WARPED TOUR run. The appearance was at the final day of IES 18 at the SONGWRITING SCHOOL of Los Angeles (with previous days at THE FEDERAL & the AMP Complex, NoHo Arts district, adj. Television Academy, Arts Institute, among others).



IES Founder/Creator gave LYMAN the 'IES TRAILBLAZER OF THE DECADE' Award for his quarter century of developing stars on WARPED, as he announced the imminent forthcoming announcement of the start of the giant WARPED FESTIVAL & his professorship in cutting edge entertainment courses at USC. "Kevin has blazed a trail like no other", Warsinske stated, "in creating the ultimate platform for New Music Discovery & incubator in creating arena & festival headliners like no other!" Kevin returned the compliment "The WARPED brand continues, as strong as ever, we're about to announce our first Festival for our 25th Anniversary next year!Jay you have built with the INDIE SUMMIT, a place like no other that aspiring artists, managers & entrepreneurs can learn from the best, make new connections & mentors, & gain inspiration to take on the World in their own unique way! The music business is very hard & complex & things like IES give you a roadmap & blueprint to see how fellow creative talent & entrepreneurs are winning these days in more & more creative indie ways! We look forward to all coming to the INDIE SUMMIT for many years to come!"



IES HONORS also inducted MEGADETH & reunited three members of the earth shaking & influential debut 'KILLING IS MY BUSINESS, & BUSINESS IS GOOD' album; founding member DAVID ELLEFSON, founding guitarist CHRIS POLAND & 'KILLING' TOUR guitarist MIKE ALBERT. ELLEFSON was presented the 'TRAILBLAZER OF THE YEAR' Award for starting his successful Indie Label EMP, re-activating COMBAT (who originally put out MEGADETH & 'KILLING', among other greats), started his Management company, indie Booking Agency, & Coffee company, in addition to touring the World & headlining festivals & arenas with the mighty MEGADETH! "The IES Honor is huge to me", Ellefson states, "Jay I wanna thank you for all you're doing there with IES & keeping everybody informed & excited about getting out there & going for it, these are the building blocks of your future. Jay you've built an incredible opportunity here with the INDIE SUMMIT to really teach people all the things that myself & others have experienced that can help you get ahead, kinda walk a mile in our shoes & great to have a community to bring people together so you never go it alone, so encourage you all to get out there with a great opportunity like IES & go for all you can be!".



IES HONORS also inducted this year the iconic powerhouse band AC/DC from Australia, Canadian Hall of famers THE GUESS WHO ('American Woman' & over 12 other Top 10 classics), & the alltime biggest selling & most influential hard rock band of all time LED ZEPPELIN, with induction by John 'Bonzo' Bonham's sister, soul sensation Deborah Bonham (on Tour with Jeff Beck & Paul Rodgers). IES 18 kicked off with the induction of MICHAEL JACKSON, widely regarded as the greatest entertainer in history, with a star studded & key player induction for the 'King Of Pop', including legendary bass player NATHAN EAST (who played on Michael's hits & those by ERIC CLAPTON, PHIL COLLINS, STEVIE WONDER, TOTO, GEORGE HARRISON, DAFT PUNK, HERBIE HANCOCK & hundreds of others), QUINCY JONES' main engineers MATT FORGER, BRUCE SWEDIEN, ANDRE CROUCH's main man ROBERTO NORIEGA, Michael's duet partner & writer of 'Man In The Mirror' SIEDAH GARRETT & Michael's iconic Publishing company exec & current SESAC VP JAMES LEACH.



IES 18 ran over 24 major Success oriented panels, Workshops & Keynotes with many of the industry's leading hitmakers, Managers, Producers, Social Media gurus, top Music Video creators, Branding execs, Label heads, Metadata experts, Film-TV Music Supervisors, Film Makers, Concert Promoters, Festival Owners, Booking Agents, Tour organizers, Marketing directors, Publishers, PR / Publicists and many other top execs and creators. Artists & Careers connected to these illustrious speakers include DR. DRE, LED ZEPPELIN, 2PAC, QUINCY JONES, JEFF BECK, TECH N9NE, MICHAEL JACKSON, BRUNO MARS, OZZY OSBOURNE, TIESTO, KISS, GWEN STEFANI, THE BEACH BOYS, SCOTT STORCH, MACKLEMORE, BOB MARLEY, EAZY-E, BAD CO., WHITESNAKE, EMINEM, AC/DC, PAUL RODGERS, BONE THUGS 'n HARMONY, NO DOUBT, RUN-DMC, METALLICA, RANDY JACKSON, ICE CUBE, FREE, RANDY RHOADS, NIPSEY HUSSLE, WARRANT, BLINK-182, PARAMORE, THE CLASH, SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, KENDRICK LAMAR, ELTON JOHN, DAFT PUNK, MADONNA, BODYCOUNT, JES, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SEAN KINGSTON, HEART, BLACK EYED PEAS, STEVE AOKI, NEIL YOUNG, NIRVANA & many more. Attendees came from over 12 countries and all parts of the US. The eighth annual IES - Indie Entertainment Summit is set for August 9-11, 2019 to close out the decade & leading the indie creative movement Worldwide in the 2020's. IES is 'The Greatest Weekend of the Year to Move Your Creative Career Forward!'. Those serious about their careers inquire now.



For more info : 818-505-9537 info@IESfest.com


http://www.IESfest.com

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

indieOn Connects Music To The Blockchain And Creates Better Experiences For Artists And Music Fans


indieOn Inc.(indieOn™) is excited to announce the release of its music currency NDI to bring blockchain technology to the music sharing economy. Using a consensus platform allowing indieOn App subscribers to listen and vote on music selections in return for NDI tokens. indieOn is confident of creating a "music miner" who listens more and grow their Token value.



The indieOn protocol is based on a decentralize ecosystem and revolutionize the music sharing economy industry. Chain of custody and smart wallets solve critical problems for musicians in marketing, managing and monetizing their creative talent.



The global music sharing industry commands a market size of nearly $14 billion as of 2017. The industry continues to grow; however, persistent problems remain for musicians and listeners alike. indieOn’s protocols intend to resolve the following four major pain points:



* Protection of musician identity and rights

* Token reward system for frequent users known as "music miners" who listen and vote on music

* Immersive and more intimate entertainment experience for listeners

* Higher levels of remuneration and faster payout for musicians.



Blockchain provides the foundation of a genuine peer-to-peer sharing economy by providing a trusted transaction platform with no intermediaries. Using blockchain technology to run a sharing-economy ecosystem means no central authority is needed.



IndieOn has these interlocking components:



1. A digital platform for artists to market, manage and monetize creative content, media, and merchandise.

2. A music token (NDI) allowing participants to store value and make purchases in the indieOn App.

3. A truly intimate experience for listeners, viewers, and purchasers of artist’s creative content.

4. A consensus platform creating music miners who listen, vote, are rewarded.

5. Revenue generation and licensing agreements with numerous industry advertisers.



Dr. Micah Hale Managing Partner of indieOn commented, "indieOn is positioned to disrupt the music sharing economy by working with existing partners in the industry and growing the ecosystem by inviting industry partners and other businesses to join. This innovative approach in building a sharing economy ecosystem will make indieOn a leading provider in this growing space."



The company also announced that Phoenix Arizona based Black Dog Venture Partners has been retained as a strategic advisor.



Music fans, artists and labels can learn more and download the indieOn app by visiting indieon.com Follow indieOn on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram