By Mark Kirby, MusicDish e-Journal

Whether you call it praise music or New Jack gospel, this genre is
most often a classic case of "preaching to the choir," with song
lyrics lifted artlessly from the King James bible and histrionic music
calculated to "reach out and touch somebody's hand." Dear god.
Luckily, Charles Laster II and Silvia Pratesi don't make this mistake
on their new record Journey of Life. Their songs reference salvation,
heaven, and living the Christian life but, like secular soul music,
have an uplifting universality. Those of us who aren't Christian -
agnostics, Muslims, those whose spirituality can't be pigeonholed -
can still understand the positive spirituality that is the wellspring
of Laster and Pratesi's music, and still get our groove on. Laster,
who composed the excellent lyrics, and Pratesi, who created most of
the music with a seamless combination of live musicians and samples,
remind us how gospel and rhythm and blues gave birth to soul music in
the early sixties and how a new kind of soul is still possible.

It is also possible to have, in this era of the run-on CD (dude, you
really don't have to fill up every second of a 74-minute CD-R) and the
random iPod mix, a record that has a theme and takes the listener on a
ride. "Journey of Life" does just that in a way that reminds one of
Stevie Wonder's work in the early '70s, and with a melting pot of
influences that are forged into a personal style, at once familiar and
quite different.

The first cuts have a rock and dance music flavor, but are rooted on
old soul music. The title cut starts with sampled strings, and a drum
beat by David Heddon that is all about Motown and Philly soul. The
vocal melody has a perfect simplicity in tune with the song's message,
sung over expansive keyboard chords: "Life is a journey filled with so
many things / It can bring some pain it will be some rain / don't be
afraid to explore it... just imagine far past everyday comprehension /
...have a little faith." This song is an overture for the entire
record, and is comprised of snippets of the different styles Laster
and Pratesi draw from. This song is a journey in itself: the vocals
soar with smooth complexity one minute, then break down to a gospel
stomp, with funky percussion and a nasty drum line the next. Fuzz
guitars by Brett Farkas and wailing synths from Laster enter strongly
then glide down into a quiet ballad-ish section, followed by a smooth
chorus. The following song "I Believe" comes on with hard-hitting rock
funk, featuring a fat bass line, scratchy wah-wah guitar and blaring
brass. It then goes into a jazz influenced section with muscular
vocals by Laster and, throwing in another left field element, a verse
of speed rap. The song ends with a coda of B.B. King-style blues guitar.

This album is based on the idea of change and spiritual growth and
revelation. From the opening song, the journey goes through faith ("I
Believe") to questioning ("In My Mind") then the moment of revelation
("Wrong To Right"). Stylistically the music reflects the emotions of
the songs, going from intense and strident rock to pensive
Latin-tinged ballad to a sparse Neptunes-style electro pop groove.

This flow leads to the show stopping apex of the album "Eternal
Dancing." This song describes the party that awaits in the promised
land of Christian heaven where there will be dancing and joyous
experience. This is sure more appealing than the vague heaven told of
by dour TV preachers, where "you will sit at the table by the left
hand of god" while angels play celestial trumpets, blah, blah,
boooring. Now dancing in a land of eternal love with others,
especially women, and celebrating oneness on the dance floor? That's a
heaven you can feel: "This life is filled with history / living in
rhapsody / there are even mysteries / I know that you agree / One day
we'll have this dance / and it will never end / we'll step from side
to side everybody will be vibing / life in paradise / I can't wait it
will be nice... When we walk through heaven's doors... and see the
faces of those we love / dance to the eternal groove..."

Adding to the music and enjoyment thereof is Laster's complete lack of
braggadocio, insincerity, and underlying cynicism that plagues pop
music and the evangelical movement in equal nasty chunks. His
positivity, mad skills and music, music that is not dumbed down to
appeal to and manipulate the "masses," are a thousand times more
effective in spreading and celebrating the gospel than some fire and
brimstone huckster ranting on TV. Journey to Life is a modern
evocation of the spirit expressed in the bible passage Psalm 95:1 that
states "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise
to the rock of our salvation."

http://www.sonicbids.com/CharlesLasterII

By Mark Kirby, MusicDish e-Journal

Whether you call it praise music or New Jack gospel, this genre is
most often a classic case of "preaching to the choir," with song
lyrics lifted artlessly from the King James bible and histrionic music
calculated to "reach out and touch somebody's hand." Dear god.
Luckily, Charles Laster II and Silvia Pratesi don't make this mistake
on their new record Journey of Life. Their songs reference salvation,
heaven, and living the Christian life but, like secular soul music,
have an uplifting universality. Those of us who aren't Christian -
agnostics, Muslims, those whose spirituality can't be pigeonholed -
can still understand the positive spirituality that is the wellspring
of Laster and Pratesi's music, and still get our groove on. Laster,
who composed the excellent lyrics, and Pratesi, who created most of
the music with a seamless combination of live musicians and samples,
remind us how gospel and rhythm and blues gave birth to soul music in
the early sixties and how a new kind of soul is still possible.

It is also possible to have, in this era of the run-on CD (dude, you
really don't have to fill up every second of a 74-minute CD-R) and the
random iPod mix, a record that has a theme and takes the listener on a
ride. "Journey of Life" does just that in a way that reminds one of
Stevie Wonder's work in the early '70s, and with a melting pot of
influences that are forged into a personal style, at once familiar and
quite different.

The first cuts have a rock and dance music flavor, but are rooted on
old soul music. The title cut starts with sampled strings, and a drum
beat by David Heddon that is all about Motown and Philly soul. The
vocal melody has a perfect simplicity in tune with the song's message,
sung over expansive keyboard chords: "Life is a journey filled with so
many things / It can bring some pain it will be some rain / don't be
afraid to explore it... just imagine far past everyday comprehension /
...have a little faith." This song is an overture for the entire
record, and is comprised of snippets of the different styles Laster
and Pratesi draw from. This song is a journey in itself: the vocals
soar with smooth complexity one minute, then break down to a gospel
stomp, with funky percussion and a nasty drum line the next. Fuzz
guitars by Brett Farkas and wailing synths from Laster enter strongly
then glide down into a quiet ballad-ish section, followed by a smooth
chorus. The following song "I Believe" comes on with hard-hitting rock
funk, featuring a fat bass line, scratchy wah-wah guitar and blaring
brass. It then goes into a jazz influenced section with muscular
vocals by Laster and, throwing in another left field element, a verse
of speed rap. The song ends with a coda of B.B. King-style blues guitar.

This album is based on the idea of change and spiritual growth and
revelation. From the opening song, the journey goes through faith ("I
Believe") to questioning ("In My Mind") then the moment of revelation
("Wrong To Right"). Stylistically the music reflects the emotions of
the songs, going from intense and strident rock to pensive
Latin-tinged ballad to a sparse Neptunes-style electro pop groove.

This flow leads to the show stopping apex of the album "Eternal
Dancing." This song describes the party that awaits in the promised
land of Christian heaven where there will be dancing and joyous
experience. This is sure more appealing than the vague heaven told of
by dour TV preachers, where "you will sit at the table by the left
hand of god" while angels play celestial trumpets, blah, blah,
boooring. Now dancing in a land of eternal love with others,
especially women, and celebrating oneness on the dance floor? That's a
heaven you can feel: "This life is filled with history / living in
rhapsody / there are even mysteries / I know that you agree / One day
we'll have this dance / and it will never end / we'll step from side
to side everybody will be vibing / life in paradise / I can't wait it
will be nice... When we walk through heaven's doors... and see the
faces of those we love / dance to the eternal groove..."

Adding to the music and enjoyment thereof is Laster's complete lack of
braggadocio, insincerity, and underlying cynicism that plagues pop
music and the evangelical movement in equal nasty chunks. His
positivity, mad skills and music, music that is not dumbed down to
appeal to and manipulate the "masses," are a thousand times more
effective in spreading and celebrating the gospel than some fire and
brimstone huckster ranting on TV. Journey to Life is a modern
evocation of the spirit expressed in the bible passage Psalm 95:1 that
states "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise
to the rock of our salvation."

http://www.sonicbids.com/CharlesLasterII

Disc Makers Kicks Off 2008 Independent Music World Series with More
Prizes and Exposure for Indie Artists

Disc Makers' premier showcase, with over $250,000 in cash & prizes,
gives independent artists the opportunity to play for top industry
professionals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta

PENNSAUKEN, NJ - Disc Makers, the nation's leading independent CD
manufacturer, is kicking off their 13th annual Independent Music World
Series (IMWS), the biggest installment yet of the nation's longest
running and most successful indie music showcase series. Over 5,000
bands are expected to enter the 2008 IMWS, and Disc Makers has
sweetened this year's pot by elevating the total prize package to over
$250,000 in cash and prizes.
http://www.discmakers.com/imws

The IMWS consists of four showcase events in four major U.S cities
(2008 cities include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta). Each
regional event features six acts selected as finalists by the editors
of Billboard Magazine. The six finalists in each showcase compete for
the grand prize in front of music industry professionals at some of
the hottest live music venues in America, such as the Knitting Factory
in Los Angeles and Crash Mansion in New York.

"The Independent Music World Series is all about helping artists make
it on their own," commented Tony van Veen, President of Disc Makers.
"We're looking for the best original artists in the U.S. Unlike other
events that reward just a great voice or a good song, the IMWS is
about the whole package: originality, great songwriting, and the
artist's on-stage performance. Between the opportunity to network and
be noticed by industry insiders and win enough gear to outfit their
own home studio, the showcase slots at the IMWS offer independent
artists' careers a shot in the arm like no other opportunity today."

The four regional IMWS winners will claim a grand prize package worth
over $50,000 that includes world-class gear from leading
manufacturers, recording time in select studios, and cash.
Furthermore, each act chosen to perform at the four showcases (24 acts
total) will receive $1,000 in cash and gear from selected sponsors.

This year's grand prize package features everything independent
musicians need for a career boost including a complete CD
manufacturing package, post-production sweetening, and promotional
posters and T-shirts from Disc Makers, a Digital Studio Workstation
from Zoom Audio, studio recording software from Cakewalk, professional
Shure microphones, Ibanez guitars and basses, a drum kit from Tama,
Electric Guitar and Electric Bass Strings from Dean Markley, Remo
drumheads, a Sabian cymbal package, and a year-long membership to
TAXI. Additional event partners include Samson Audio, Sonicbids,
Billboard, Electronic Musician, Remix and Drum! magazine.

The IMWS is open to all musicians not currently signed to a major
record label. All styles and genres of music are welcome. Past winning
genres and their winners include: Singer Songwriter (Amber
deLaurentis, Chinua Hawk), Hard Rock (Dirty Power), Punk/Pop (Bang
Sugar Bang), Pop Rock (Plain Jane Automobile, Rich Creamy Paint), Hip
Hop (The Urban Sophisticates, BurnDown All-Stars, Dura Hale),
Electronic Pop Rock (Brice Woodall), Jazz (Orbert Davis), Bluegrass
Rock (Rose's Pawn Shop), Rock (Shipwreck Union), Salsa (Bio Ritmo),
Country/American (Deadman), Jam (Gamble Brothers Band).

Registration is now open for this year's showcase series at
http://www.discmakers.com/imws

Submissions must be postmarked by May 14th, 2008. For more
information, please contact Jessica Darrican at
jessicadarrican@... or 305-576-1171 X16.

Minneapolis Studio and Label in National Magazine

Minneapolis based music studio C-Sharp Productions (
http://www.sharpmusic.com ) is featured in an article in the April
issue of More Magazine. The magazine is a national women�s magazine
and is on newsstands around the country now.

"The magazine did a story on women who followed their dreams. One of
the dreams they featured was recording a CD," Chad Sharp president of
C-Sharp Productions explains. "They contacted me to find out what it
costs to record a CD."

Sharp has been producing and recording CD�s with independent artists
and bands since he started C-Sharp Productions in 1996. Sharp moved
the company to Minneapolis from Mitchell, SD in 2007. He has worked on
projects in many styles like pop, country, rock, dance and R&B. Sharp
said besides recording with artists he also helps them with
traditional and online music promotion.

"The music industry is changing very quickly. Online promotion is the
future and it is really happening right now," Sharp says.

Artists currently working with C-Sharp include, country singers Lucas
Doppler and Michelle Hamm, Christian artist Rick Jensen, pop artist
Dayna Jones, and Sharp is working on a new CD of his solo material.

For more info on C-Sharp Productions go to http://www.sharpmusic.com.
More Magazine is online at http://www.more.com.

*All prices include a $1.50 facility fee. Offer valid for select orchestra and mezzanine locations at Tuesday evening, Wednesday matinee and evening, and Thursday evening performances from 4/15/08 – 5/22/08. Additional blackout dates may apply. Subject to availability and prior sale. Limit 6 tickets per order. Normal service charges apply to phone and Internet orders. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts and not valid on prior purchases. Performance schedule subject to change without notice. Offer may be revoked at any time. All sales final - no refunds or exchanges.

This message was sent from B2: Productions to independentmusictalk@yahoogroups.com. It was sent from: B2: Productions, 3647 Broadway #4E, New York, Ne 10031. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

Mike Cameo's Indies Top 10 Collects Chart Topping Indie Artists
Worldwide for Podcasts

To the rapidly changing and expanding universe of Indie pop music, a
new website - Mike Cameo's Indies Top 10 ( http://www.IndiesTop10.com
) - brings a tool for music fans to easily find, download, and listen
to the best of the Indie best.

"Mike Cameo's Indies Top 10 constantly scans the web checking the
Indie charts and each month selecting the most-listened-to artists and
their music," says Edward Galt, chief executive officer of Graham
Cracker Productions and producer of the Indies Top 10. "Great Indie
music is being created from New Zealand and Australia to Japan,
Sweden, and Spain - to name just a few places.

We've watched the charts of Indie music websites around the world,
invited the most active and solid, and now gather the best music from
our selected sites' charts to bring you Mike Cameo's podcast."

In addition to the music itself, the website and podcast carries Indie
music news and exclusive interviews with the Independent artists who
are hitting the charts.

"I live my life in the music world," says Mike Cameo. "But the amount
of great Indie music being created everywhere on earth still surprises
me. There is so much - it's overwhelming. With more and more bands
uploading their music to the internet - and new Indie charts going up
daily, we decided there should be a "best of the best". Every musician
on the show is an exceptional artist who deserves the spotlight."

"We're having a blast! I research the Indies Top 10 selected sites.
These are the sites that have a great standing with Indie musicians
and do well in tracking who's being listened to. We use these sites'
charts to create the Indies Top 10 shows - as well as news and
exclusive interviews."

"And... we always save OUR No. 1 selection for last."

For March, Mike Cameo's Indies Top 10 announces OurStage.com and
IACMusic.com joining the Indies Top 10 selected sites. The Indies Top
10 selected sites also include SongPlanet.com, Garageband.com,
CDBaby's Top 10 Seller List, Broadjam.com, BoostIndependentMusic.com,
IndieCharts.com, BBC's UK Independent Top 30 and our final addition to
be announced in April.

Mike Cameo's Indies' Top 10 is now available in iTunes.
http://www.Indiestop10.com

By Mark Kirby, MusicDish e-Journal

The picture on the front of her CD Cover to Cover shows singer
songwriter Julie Moffitt covered with a bed sheet and smiling
unselfconsciously at the viewer. This image, in its simple honesty, is
appropriate for her CD. In addition to recording original material,
Moffitt decided to include songs by other artists that she loves and
have inspired her. Indeed, all people learn by imitating others and
for artists it is even more important. As the great Salvador Dali once
said, "Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing."

The songs she chose to cover, and the way she plays them, with nuance
and deep emotion that doesn't come in a can, shows that she has been
around for a while. With an interest in classical music (Chopin) and
art rock (Kansas, Emerson Lake and Palmer) going back to her childhood
days in the '70s, her music is another example of how there is nothing
magical about youth culture in music. No disrespect to Alicia Keys and
Corinne Bailey Rae, but you can't fake experience and the lessons that
come with traveling through life's stages. During her formative years
as a musician she also grew to love the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash
and Young, Cat Stevens and other folk artists. All of these
influences, along with years spent studying music in college, have
percolated over time and given her a unique and confident voice and
way of expressing songs.

Strong piano playing and passionate singing come through on "She Has
Become" and the elegiac "Dancing Man" in a way that recalls the Bronx,
NY native Laura Nyro. "She Has Become" captures the frustration of
people trapped in a social role, and finding the need for change and
adventure overwhelming: "My heart's been tied up in a box like a
wounded prisoner / ...Don't want to wake up old with nothing but
security." Emotional rescue is also the topic of "Dancing Man." Her
voice fits perfectly with the music, elegantly tweaking the emotions
of the song, be it shouted and belted as on the former or sung as a
stately aria of restrained emotion on the latter.

The complex piano chords and vigorous vocal lines of these songs are
eschewed on the more traditional folk music cuts like "Jonathan,"
which is a simple song about an emotionally distant corporate big
shot. It is really the story of alienation, fear and sadness masked by
much-praised workaholism and is sincere in its social commentary
without preachiness or emotional distance.

Gordon Lightfoot is one of the great overlooked folk song writers. His
profile and popularity were dwarfed by Bob Dylan, Donovan and Jackson
Browne back in the day, and countless lesser lights in recent years.
Moffitt's cover of "Early Mornin' Rain" is a great rendition of a
great song. This cut shows how simple elements can be put together to
create something that is emotionally complex; in this case it a song
about a rambling man, reminiscent of Glenn Campbell's "Gentle on my Mind."

Of all of the covers on this CD "Belle of the Blues" stands out the
most. The blues cabaret style of her piano playing and singing has as
much power as a band. The vocal melody is haunting and raw at the same
time. As with the other songs on this CD, the performance perfectly
fits the music. This one is the flip side, emotionally speaking, of
"Nobody Loves When You're Down and Out." Here the narrator/singer is
resigned, defiantly so, to her fate: "Their children sing of sorrow,
it's the same old routine / They've begged and they've borrowed
someone else's misery / It's an easy act to follow, at least an easy
one for me / Give me my tomorrows, you can have my memories." The
singing and playing throughout this song, and the rest of the CD (with
the exception of the overwrought "The Rose," a song that not even the
all-time greats could save), show another consequence of experience -
restraint and economy. There are no extraneous vocal gymnastics or
displays of chops. Everything she does is in the service of the song
and the music. Cover to Cover is Julie Moffitt showing us what she's
got. Like she writes on her CD Baby page, "There's a little blues, a
little rock, a little folk, and, of course, a little melancholy. These
songs are me... from cover to cover."

http://www.juliemoffitt.com

Cevin Soling, producer for the cult film 'A Hole In The Head,' will be
on-hand for its virtual premiere screening in the MusicWorld3D virtual
community on Thursday, March 27th at 9:00 PM EST. Cevin will introduce
the hour-long film about trepanation - the process of boring a hole in
the skull - as well as take questions from host Rick Heid and avatar
audience.

"I can think of many things that are commonplace today which I think
are harder to justify than trepanation. Body piercing and tattooing
are other forms of body mutilation, though we use the polite word
'modification'. There is a psychological response that accompanies
these acts for the people who have it done which is why they are drawn
to them. The effect of trepanation might be a similar mechanism, or it
may be physiological as well. Evidence of the latter would
substantiate the procedure to a greater degree than the recreational
forms of body alteration. Using drugs as a means to attain a state of
consciousness has the drawbacks of being temporary and having side
effects that either interfere with brain function or adversely affect
health."

The film won the Best Documentary Award at both Atlantic City Film
Festival and Brooklyn International Film Festival, and was later
broadcast on the Discovery and Learning Channels. 'A Hole In The Head'
is now available on DVD at http://www.holeintheheadmovie.com

MusicWorld3D offers a free interactive virtual 3D chat environment
with live and recorded music and video streaming, instant messaging,
and games to play, as well as free hosted websites and virtual homes
for musicians and bands.

Click on to MusicWorld3D to download the 3D browser
http://www.MusicWorld3D.com

New York City based composer/flautists Gera Clark and John Sarantos,
known collectively as NightDancers, announced a series of shows
featuring their unique and contemporary Native American flute style
exemplified in their debut CD entitled, Montana Crossings.

http://www.nightdancersmusic.com

Saturday, March 8th, 2008
6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
The 169 Bar
169 E. Broadway, NY
(between Rutgers st. & Jefferson ST.)
$10:00 Cover
tel: (212) 473-8866

Monday, March 10, 2008
8:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
Artist The Cup
388 Van Duzer Street
Staten Island, NY
tel: (717) 818-8100.

Sunday, March 16th, 12:30 p.m.
Silver Lake Flute Circle
Everything Goes Book Cafe and Neighborhood Stage
208 Bay Street near Victory Blvd (behind the park)
Staten Island, NY
tel: (718) 447-8256

Saturday, April 4th, 2008
9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Everything Goes Book Cafe and Neighborhood Stage
208 Bay Street near Victory Blvd. (behind the park)
Staten Island, NY
NO Cover/No minimum
tel: (718) 447-8256

Saturday, April 12th, 2008
8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Your Inner Vagabond Cooffehouse and World Lounge
4130 Butler Street @ 42nd Pittsburgh, PA
$10:00 Cover
tel: (412) 683-1623

Sunday, April 13th, 2008
1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Native American Flute Workshop with NightDancers
Your Inner Vagabond Cooffehouse and World Lounge
4130 Butler Street @ 42nd Pittsburgh, PA
$75.00
tel: (412) 683-1623

MONTANA CROSSINGS - the debut studio recording from New York City
based composer/flautists Gera Clark and John Sarantos is a
well-crafted, melodic gem of an album featuring themes of exploration,
transformation, interconnection and grace. Recorded at the
world-famous AVATAR Studios in NYC by Jim Anderson, with mastering by
Fred Kervorkian, CLARK and SARANTOS assembled a team which
successfully captured the essence of NightDancers' vision. MONTANA
CROSSINGS contains 15 instrumental tracks featuring twenty-five flutes
representing eleven flute makers from coast-to-coast. No overdubbing
or sound samplers were used on the recording. Montana Crossings/GENRE:
Native - New Age � World; FORMAT: Instrumental - Public Radio -
Variety � World; MUSIC STYLE: Contemporary Native American Flute;
STREET DATE: May 29, 2007.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/nightdancersmusic/

ABOUT NIGHTDANCERS: New York City based composer/flautists Gera Clark
and John Sarantos, known collectively as NightDancers, enjoy sharing
instrumental flute music with a unique style that takes listeners on a
musical journey . . . painting sound pictures with original
contemporary Native American flute songs - successfully capturing the
soothing, mystical and healing qualities which are the heart and soul
of Native American flute music. Clark and Sarantos met while attending
a Renaissance of the Native American Flute (RNAF) workshop in 2005,
which eventually led to jamming together via speakerphones 1,000 miles
apart. NightDancers was formed in 2006. Both Clark and Sarantos also
have an extensive background in the business of entertainment. Ms.
Clark managed Condon's, The Lido Cafe and MC'd and operated benefit
shows from Tramps in New York City. She has been teaching flute in the
tradition of her Native American flute mentors, Franc Menusan, John
Rainer Jr. and R. Carlos Nakai. Mr. Sarantos has acted in over 35
commercials, 5 feature films and created, produced and starred in 26
episodes of Mr. Moon's Magic Circus for CBS-TV. He has facilitated
contemporary Native American flute workshops from coast to coast for
over 13 years. For 10 summers he has worked with Ken Light and R.
Carlos Nakai at the Renaissance of the Native American Flute workshop
in Montana and has also written six songbooks for the native flute.

MusicDish will host two video premieres this coming March on
MusicWorld3D.com, a video-game style user interface designed to
provide a totally new way to experience and shop for new music,
network & showcase, advertise, and perform live on a global stage.
MusicDIsh has been working closely with Musicworld3D's "Virtual Venue"
concert series to help transfer the popularity of virtual communities
to the world of music.
http://www.MusicWorld3D.com

"Virtual events have offered our artists a unique opportunity to
interact with fans who may never have the chance to witness a live
performance, let alone chat with their favorite musicians," said
MusicDish's Eric de Fontenay.

WHAT: Paul Nash's "Jazz Cycles"
WHEN: March 20, 9:00 PM
WHERE: Jamlantis - Underwater Concert Venue, MusicWorld3D.com
ABOUT: Manhattan New Music Project (MNMP) Records Presents Paul Nash's
"Jazz Cycles" performance at New York's Cachaca Jazz & Samba Club last
year will be screened on March 20th, featuring a special group of
performers associated with MNMP, including Shane Endsley (trumpet),
Bruce Williamson (soprano & alto sax), Tim Ries (tenor sax), Jim Ridl
(piano), Vic Juris (guitar), Jeff Carney (bass), Grisha Alexiev
(drums). Jazz Cycles' producer Julia Reinhardt will be on hand for a
night of great jazz and rare insight into this incredible jazz
composer and performer's legacy to his lifelong career.
http://www.musicdish.net/paulnash/

WHAT: Hole In The Head Film Debut
WHEN: March 27, 9:00 PM
WHERE: Jamlantis - Underwater Concert Venue, MusicWorld3D.com
ABOUT: Cevin Soling, producer for the cult film 'A Hole In The Head,'
will be on-hand for its virtual premiere screening in the MusicWorld3D
virtual community on Thursday, March 27th at 9:00 PM EST. Cevin will
introduce the hour-long film about trepanation - the process of boring
a hole in the skull - as well as take questions from the avatar
audience. The film won the Best Documentary Award at both Atlantic
City Film Festival and Brooklyn International Film Festival, and was
later broadcast on the Discovery and Learning Channels.
http://www.musicdish.net/holeinthehead/

INSTRUCTIONS TO ENTER MUSICWORLD3D
1) Click the following link to download the 3D browser.
http://www.musicworld3d.com/downloads/mp3d.exe
If the yellow Information Bar comes up, right click it and allow the
download. If you're asked to Run or Save it, go ahead and click "Run"
to install it after the download completes.
2) After the install is complete you can sign into the 3d world and
click the sign in front of you to go to the Virtual Concert.
http://www.activeworlds.com/help/aw41/images/login_start.png
3) Please follow this link to sign up as a citizen for more options
(It's FREE!!!).
http://www.activeworlds.com/help/aw41/images/login_start.png
However you can visit as a tourist without joining if you want to
check it out before joining.

MusicDish Network is the artist development department of MusicDish
LLC, a leading music magazine publisher and marketing firm, combining
content and brand development, content syndication, online street
teaming, relationship & viral marketing as well as fan management
tools. Our music business magazines, MusicDish.com and Mi2N.com, reach
over 50,000 subscribing industry professionals through its newsletters
and sponsor major conferences around the world such as MIDEM, CMW and
Popkomm.
http://www.musicdish.net

Award Winning Singer Debbie Hennessey Featured In The February Issue
Of PLUS Model Magazine!

Award winning indie artist Debbie Hennessey is featured in the latest
edition of Plus Model Magazine with a new interview by editorial
contributor Shante Gordon. Ms. Hennessey discusses music, image and
personal choices in the world of the size 0 entertainment industry.
�In entertainment people expect a certain thing but you have to be
happy being yourself. You really have to allow yourself to be happy
and feel good. It all comes down to what�s inside,� says
Hennessey.

PLUS Model Magazine calls Hennessey�s music �Quintessential
American
Music� and says, �her most recent album Good As Gone, is one that
anyone can relate to regardless of background. Her rich, smooth voice
contributes to the palatability of universal themes of
self-realization, human connection and love.� The interactive
interview also features songs from the new cd Good As Gone as well as
the video for the title track, which recently appeared on the TV show
Extra!

To view the full article go to:
http://www.plusmodelmag.com/General/plus-model-magazine-article-detail.asp?artic\
le-id=202080098
or http://www.plusmodelmag.com/ and click on the article about Ms.
Hennessey.

PLUS Model Magazine, the premiere virtual magazine celebrating and
inspiring the plus size fashion and plus size modeling industry,
inspires you to thrive in your curves, crave contemporary fashion and
design your life on your own terms, sans apologies. PLUS Model
Magazine is published by V.I.E., LLC.

Debbie Hennessey is the winner of the AC40 Female Artist of the Year
from New Music Weekly, a two-time ASCAPlus Award recipient, was
included on cds from CMT New Music Collection, GoGirls MusicFest and
the MS Music Fest, received a Billboard World Song Contest Honorable
Mention, named Best Vocalist of the Month by SingerUniverse, and twice
named Artist of the Month by Songsalive! Her music is a blend of
country/rock/soul, with distinctive vocals and catchy melodies.
Debbie�s new cd, Good As Gone and debut cd Rustic Heart, were both
produced by Rye Randa and are available through many music outlets
including iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon, and Best Buy or by calling
1-800-BUY-MY-CD. For more info visit http://www.debbiehennessey.com.

http://www.debbiehennessey.com/audio/DEBBIE_HENNESSEY-Good_As_Gon.m3u
http://www.myspace.com/debbiehennessey

For musicians out there:

If you are an unsigned artists or part of an unsigned band, Yippi.com
would like to invite you to enter our Music Star Search Contest.
Music Star Search contest is an online contest at
http://www.Yippi.com/starsearch/join , where any artist or band can
enter the contest, submit your music file (MP3), a picture file of
your music, lyrics and title of your music.

Contest is open for everyone over the age of 18 and is divided into 7
genres, Hip/Hop Rap, Country, Pop/ Rock, Hard Rock/ Metal, Spanish/
Reggaeton, Electro/Dance and Alternative/ Indie.
Contest entries will be accepted from 1/21/2008 until 3/31/08 for
round one. Winners of round one will be decided based on votes from
members of Yippi.com. Contestants with the most votes will then move
onto round 2 with the final winners announced after 7/1/08. Keep in
mind that judge votes counts for 100 votes whereas members can vote
once daily.

Winners will receive video production, marketing, promotion,
distribution and showcase opportunity valued up to $250,000.00.
Winners will also work with top producers in the recording industry.
You can find out more about us at Yippi.com/starsearch.

Psychedelic rock in the 1960's had two edges and came from two
different strains. One was the heavy and intense Acid Rock of bands
like Buddy Miles' Electric Flag, The Zombies, and countless other
fuzzed-out, guitar-led bands going on sonic mental trips. The other
strain of that period's music followed the hippies' path, a search for
and return to a lost innocence and authenticity. Some artists like
Jerry Garcia found jug band blues and mountain swing. Others, like
Donovan and the British band Pentangle, mined the rich tradition of
Emerald Isle folk music (which touched on Celtic myth and magical
other-worldly creatures like fairies and sprites, things seen
sometimes on extreme doses of LSD, perhaps fueling curiosity about the
music). It is this strain that Hobbyhorse has pursued.

http://www.hobbyhorsecafe.com
http://www.myspace.com/hobbyhorsecafe

Hobbyhorse starts with these influences and creates an individual
sound. It is organic in the sense that the duo -- comprising Annie and
Phil, who play guitars and a variety of other instruments including
harpsichord, organ, and percussion of various sorts -- sound natural,
like they're playing in the living room of a cottage in the woods for
friends, instead of for an "audience" of "fans." Their new CD, Break
in the Clouds, captures the essence of psychedelia, that other-worldly
concern with mythology, the occult, the fantastic, and visions from
altered states (chemically induced or not). Lyrical storytelling is
accompanied by music that is cinematic. The CD's lush instrumentation
and Annie's dark angel voice give the listener more with repeated
plays - a disembodied guitar twang there, a chord here, organ drones
that sound like they're coming from another room in your home. The
songs are memorable, particularly the sweet "Good Morning Moon," the
surreal "Museum," and my favorite, the eerie "Melesina."

[Mark Kirby] What are your earliest musical memories?

[Annie] My earliest musical memories are of listening to 70's am
radio. I loved so many of those songs. The songs of that era often
told stories. Even though many of them were sort of corny, they were
so sincere.

[Phil] My parents and sisters played classical music with varying
degrees of skill. When I was a six or seven, my grandmother gave me a
transistor radio and I carried it with me wherever I went. But even
before that, I listened to my parent's records of folk songs by Woody
Guthrie, Leadbelly and the Weavers. I could memorize long, complicated
songs way before I could even read. In the late 1960's, I used to
listen to underground FM radio. "Jelly Pudding" was the name of the
show, hosted by "Michael Xanadu." He played the latest, hippest bands
from San Francisco, England and other psychedelic scenes. Those sounds
really captured my 10-year-old imagination!

[Mark Kirby] Break in the Clouds opens with "Lullaby," a gentle song
that has the wispy yet earnest spirit of the summer of '67. The guitar
comes in with delicate chords backed up by the subtle percussion of
tar (a middle eastern frame drum) organ and bass. Annie's voice is
delicate, ethereal, singing words that conjure lost innocence: "Snake
in the grass - little lion in the tree / My love holds tightly on to
me / The sun comes up behind my closed eyes / Dream of a lullaby." The
full effect of classic psychedelia is aided by the sitar that enters
half way through the song, creeping up on the listener like 'shrooms
after a full meal.

"Angus Og" continues in the same vein and captures the psychedelic
feeling musically by using electric sitar to play the opening musical
theme; organ and cymbals adorn this simple song about the life a woman
dreamed of and loved by Angus Og, the Celtic god of love. The lyrics,
voice and instrumental textures are akin to painting with rich yet
opaque watercolors: its simplicity veils its subtle complexity.

What are your individual musical pasts?

[Annie] I took uninspiring piano lessons when I was a kid. It wasn't
until I was at college that I picked up a guitar. I did it because my
friends all played instruments. I learned a few chords and within a
couple of weeks I figured out, from a folk songbook, how songs were
constructed. I wrote my first song before I could hardly play. It was
one of the most satisfying moments of my life.

[Phil] In 1965, I used to pretend to play guitar along with Rolling
Stones records using an old tennis racket. My parents noticed this and
bought me a real guitar, and signed me up for guitar lessons. One of
my early guitar teachers was a jazz player and he taught me to
improvise. So I was always more into playing my own thing than into
copying anyone else's style.

[Mark Kirby] What were the first groups you were a part of like?

[Annie] My first group was also the first incarnation of Hobbyhorse. I
sang my songs and a friend played guitar, he played bass. The problem
was that he could not really play. We had one gig at one of his
friend's parties. He got stoned before the gig which made him even
worse. I abandoned him there and never played with or talked to him again.

[Phil] My first band was with some 4th grade school friends. We played
"I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" (by the Monkees), "Snoopy Vs. The Red
Baron" and a few other songs like that. I played through an amplifier
that my father built for me. Our drummer had a snare drum and one
cymbal. Our keyboardist played my little sister's Magnus Chord Organ.
We practiced a lot and performed once or twice in a community variety
show. When I was 10, I played in a rock band with some older kids who
were 13. We had a girl bass player and a Hammond organ along with
drums and guitars. We played songs like "We Gotta Get Out of This
Place" and "Little Bit of Soul," not to mention the classic "In the
Midnight Hour." I was in several other bands through my teenage years
and played lots of Bar Mitvahs in that period.

[Mark Kirby] What are your musical and artistic influences?

[Annie] The mood of many of my songs is influenced by the mystical
sound of Donovan's Sunshine Superman record and the haunting sounds of
Pink Floyd. Some of the female singer/songwriters I am influences by
are Suzanne Vega, Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks. Led Zeppelin has made me
more aware of riffs. There is nothing like a great riff! I have
studied middle eastern percussion and have developed my own percussion
style through these studies. However, with all of these influences,
the truth is that I feel I have little control over how I sound and
write. I have found that accepting my own limitations and natural
expression has made it possible for me to be a musician, writer and
artist.

[Phil] Psychedelic rock from the 1960's was my first serious influence
and obsession. In the 1970's, I discovered John Fahey and he had a
profound influence on my guitar work. An older cousin introduced me to
late period John Coltrane, and along with Miles Davis (Bitches Brew,
in particular), that opened up yet another direction. Karl Berger had
an enduring influence on me through my brief period at Creative Music
Studio, in Woodstock, NY circa 1977. I have listened deeply to almost
every style of American music, most European music, a lot of Indian
music, and at least a little bit of music from every other culture in
the world. I steal ideas and concepts from it all.

[Mark Kirby] How did you arrive at the style of music you are
currently playing?

[Annie] It was a natural collaboration between Phil and I. It is a
combination of my songwriting style and Phil's playing style. We both
love the dreamy, psychedelic sounds of the 60's and the haunting
sounds of music like Pink Floyd. Our sound comes from these influences.

[Phil] Hobbyhorse music is the sound of me and Annie each doing what
we do best, and loving what we do. Hobbyhorse plays to Annie's
strengths as a songwriter, and at the same time allows me freedom to
create music that sounds the way I have always felt music should sound.

[Annie] I named the band Hobbyhorse after the Dada art movement that
took place during WW1; Dada is another word for Hobbyhorse. Hobbyhorse
also means an obsession. Music is not a hobby to us. Everything else
is a hobby. Music is the real thing. Eventually the most important
meaning of Hobbyhorse emerged: It stands for the freedom of the
imagination. We describe our music as psychedelic folk/rock. Sometimes
we call it progressive folk/rock. It is intricate and poetic.

[Phil] In the first psychedelic era, a door opened between the
everyday world and the eternal world. It was like a very brief but
very bright spark, and the spark lit a lot of fires that are still
burning today. Hobbyhorse music lives in that door between the worlds
and acts as a conductor for that spark

[Mark Kirby] Magical worlds are evoked in most of the songs on this
CD. "Museum" speaks of a museum with magical instruments, a place that
could exist only in this twilight zone. Yet contemplating such a
place, even in a song, helps to open the mind to other possibilities.
Isn't that the essence of psychedelia?

"Melasina" is the darkest and most eerie of Hobbyhorse's songs. The
music immediately conjures images of the Red Room in the Black Lodge,
the place of evil in another dimension, on the show Twin Peaks.
Musically, this song captures a feeling of other-worldly dementia.
Just as on the Twin Peaks T.V. show and the (horribly underrated)
movie, violence against women by one familiar, with all the attendant
symbolism of evil attacking innocence, weak against strong, and the
assault on innocence. The music captures this. Dissonant keyboards and
disembodied guitars, sounding like distant thunder and winds, cascade
from the first note.

The voice sings a virtual monotone over a patchwork atmosphere of
descending ringing keyboard chords, guitars that sound like buzzing
bees, and sounds that evoke the feel of vast spaces like the ocean: "
Your hands felt so familiar / As they caressed my cheek / Suddenly,
transformed with rage / They pulled me down deep / . . . The wind
blows against the waves / Midnight falls into the sea / I swim against
memories / That darken my dreams." The concise lyrics and emotional
and visual music combines to make a virtual movie in the listener's
mind, like a passage of good prose.

Your website mentions that you are influenced by myths. Which
culture's myths do you draw from? Why and how do you apply them to
your music?

[Annie] I write songs inspired by myths from anywhere around the world
and from any time. They are timeless stories. Writing the song helps
teach me about the myth. I let my mind dive into the story. I extract
the essence of a character or event. Writing the song helps the story
come alive. I usually write the music first and then the story will
fit in like the pieces of a puzzle coming together.

[Phil] Many of the songs I write are allegorical and use a lot of
alchemical imagery. I am most familiar with classical Greek and Roman
mythology, with Egyptian mythology being a more recent interest. I
have also studied many world religions and draw from those traditions.

[Mark Kirby] When you perform live, do you have just the two of you or
do you have a larger band?

[Annie] Currently, we perform only as an acoustic duo. The sound is
unique and different from our recorded sound. On the recording we play
all the instruments ourselves, but overlap them in an arrangement. And
we play some electric and some acoustic instruments on our recordings.
We plan to form a band in the near future so that we can have the
flexibility to play as a band or duo.

[Mark Kirby] You spent about a year on the new record? Why so long?

[Annie] The CD formed gradually through experimenting with home
recording. We were recording song by song and then realized one day
that we had an album. During that time we also designed the website.
It was a lot of work. We had unique ideas that we wanted to realize:
conscious choice pricing, guest artists, a special section for people
who sign up. I painted all of the artwork for the website. We wanted a
break from live performance.

[Phil] Each song has a unique voice, a unique story to tell and a
unique form. Annie never writes the same theme twice nor does she use
standard song forms. I put the same care into arrangements. Every
arrangement is crafted to the specific song. No arrangement ever uses
the same combination of instruments, the same motifs, nor even the
same recording methodology. So we put a lot of thought into writing
and arranging, and we experiment a lot with recording techniques. It
takes a lot of time!

[Mark Kirby] The song "Walking Away" is textured to resemble and
conjure the image of a caravan going across a desert; this is created
by the combination of ringing bells, droning bass sounds melding with
the low rumble of the frame drum, and searing guitar lines made of
long, extending notes. This melange of sound is painterly in its
composition. "Pheonixology" is an instrumental interlude. Perhaps
Annie and Phil sought to put words and singing to this track and then
realized that it didn't really need it. A simple xylophone motif opens
and anchors the song throughout. Bells, organ and bass play counter
lines until it all comes together at the end, an end that promises
more. The song's pregnant pause ending flows into the aforementioned
"Angus Og" comprising a mini suite, a musical voyage.

How did you decide to create the Hobbyhorse Cafe?

[Annie] We decided that we wanted a website that catered to the
listener. So many sites on the web are geared toward booking. They are
more like press kits. Or they are sites with thousands of musicians on
them that are probably visited only by the musicians themselves. We
wanted Hobbyhorsecafe.com to be colorful and fun and sort of like a
little virtual music venue. Some of the artists on our site have been
friends of ours. Others found Hobbyhorsecafe.com and contacted us. We
choose people whose work we like. We like the musicians to be local or
visiting so that we can make a unique recording of some of their songs
so that their fans have something new to listen to. Phil has a
portable recorder, so we can record live performances. It has been
really fun to have guests on our website.

[Mark Kirby] What is Conscious Choice Pricing and what is the concept
behind it?

[Annie] We have flexible pricing on our website. You have three
choices, a minimum, standard and patron of the arts choice. Hobbyhorse
or the guest musician set a minimum price, standard is 99 cents and
patron of the arts is open ended. I am working on having special items
available for our Patrons of the Arts.

[Phil] We were initially inspired by Jane Siberry's online store,
which was our first encounter with flexible pricing.

We are consumers of music as well as producers of music. As such, we
see both sides of the question "what is the fair monetary value of
music?" And there is no easy answer! Our solution is to allow fans to
make a choice with a range of prices (and artists with a choice in how
they set their prices). The outcome of this system is that you have to
think consciously about the value of music whenever you make a
purchase. We don't make any judgement about the price level that you
choose - it is entirely up to you. But we do appreciate our Patrons of
the Arts!

[Mark Kirby] What are Hobbyhorse's future plans?

[Phil] We are playing out a lot more this year and will gig even more
next year. We plan to tour a much larger region. Also, we continue to
write and record new songs and have about half of a new CD completed.
There is no planned release date, but Regulars (i.e., subscribers) at
hobbyhorsecafe.com will hear about it first, as well as gigs and
interesting news items. It is entirely free for you to sign up at
www.hobbyhorsecafe.com and we only send two or three emails per month.

Songwriters of all genres converge on Nashville's Music Row, every
third weekend in June. The 2008 Nashville SongWriters Festival is
many happenings in one. Novices to pros share their songs on multiple
outdoor stages & open Sing Rings. Bewtween gigs, tunesmiths attend
Workshops, Q&A discussion, classes, all about the craft of
songwriting. The celebration also host an Open House where
participating music related businesses open take questions, exchange
samples and discuss what part they play in the industry. The 3 day
music people gathering is hosted by SongWritersFestival.com this June
20-22, 2008.

"Last year Curb Music, Artist Building Partners, and other "Fest
Heads" helped out with stage locations," Festival coordinator,
Cornelius "Popcorn" Robertson explains. "Staff writers of Sony/BMG,
Warner-Chappell/Ash Street Music and hundreds of others jumped in to
lend their talents. At the Writers Retreat, pros "who have been there
done that," shared personal experiences. The Open House is a
whirlwind of unscheduled meet and greets. This year many surprises
await."

"Everyone who comes to the fest will have an opportunity to share
their original lyrics, song or music." "Popcorn" continues. "We
welcome all forms of songwriting. Writers are encouraged to come as
they are and find their place in the mix. We are not a contest or
competition."

"There are no set pre qualifications to attend all or part of the
Fest. Each individual determines what they can do to help a part of
the event by setting their own sign up fee. We all chip in together
and that's what makes the fest happen."

The fest is now open and accepting sign ups for the June 2008 season.
http://www.songwritersfestival.com/

On Wednesday, 1/2/08, Webcaster Dan Herman announced his list of the top 100
independent-label/unsigned acts of 2007 to receive airplay on the long-running
Internet
radio program Radio Crystal Blue. This list was generated by Mr. Herman, the
program's
creator and patron of indepedently released music.
http://www.radiocrystalblue.com

Wildflower Records alternative-country artist Amy Speace earned her first #1
position,
having received the most airplay and exposure in 2007 on Radio Crystal Blue. Her
CD
"Songs For Bright Street" was released in 2006. Alternative rock duo Sirsy, who
have just
released their 9th disc "Revolution", earned 2nd place. Acoustic recording
artist Christine
Havrilla (Boxrilla Music label) took 3rd place, largely on the strength of her
2007 CD,
"Velocity".

The annual airplay chart is an amalgamation of Mr. Herman's quarterly airplay
charts,
which track progressive amounts of airplay over a 3- and 12-month period. The
remainder
of the top 10 of this list include: #4: Lourds (Breaking Records); #5: Tim
Blane; #6: Amber
Rubarth; #7: Taylor Davis; #8: Greg Klyma; #9: Ruth Gerson (Tompkins Square
Records);
#10: Catie Curtis (Compass Records).

In addition, Mr. Herman announces his list of top 10 CDs released in 2007. At
the number
one position is "Revolution" by Sirsy. Included in the top 10 are, #2:
"Clockwork", by Tim
Blane, and #3: "Slow Southern Swing", by Taylor Davis

Mr. Herman further updated his list of all-time top recording artists as heard
on his show.
Replacing the incumbent, MPress Records recording artist Rachael Sage, is
Talisman
Records recording artist Natalia Zukerman.

All 3 lists along with other notes about his top favorites can be read at
http://www.radiocrystalblue.com/chart.html

Mr. Herman's weekly radio show, Radio Crystal Blue, presents a unique look at
both artists
on indepedent labels and those that are just surfacing in popularity on the
Internet. Shows
are broadcast live on the Live365 network, Sunday evenings, from New York.
Podcast
versions, as well as streaming audio of archived shows, are kept for several
weeks after the
live shows.

Toronto-based, roots-calypso act Kobo Town is capping a pivotal year
with their debut album 'Independence' being selected in Exclaim!
Magazine "Year in Review 2007." Picked as a Top 10 "Groove" Album of
2007, following Amy Winehouse and M.I.A., Independence was the only
album by an unsigned act in the category. The band was also recognized
by the 2007 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards with a Best World Song
Award for "Corbeaux Following."

"Lyrically and musically Kobo Town is a trans-national triangle that
connects Toronto, Jamaica and Port-of-Spain, the sort of thing that
could only happen now, here. Reaching back past soca's hollow
mainstream din, Kobo Town resurrects, reinvigorates and redefines
calypso for the new millennium. Independence is an important album not
only because of the editorial observations on post-colonial life and
trans-border cultural connections but because it offers an almost
forgotten music new life by coyly injecting it with a therapeutic
blend of reggae, dancehall and dub. As such Independence comes with a
promise: it's well on its way to facilitating a belated introduction
between Canada and the art of the calypsonian." Brent Hagerman,
Exclaim! Magazine

Since the November release of their much-acclaimed debut album
Independence, Kobo Town has been performing major festivals across
Canada, from the Montreal Jazz Festival to British Columbia's Salmon
Arm Roots and Blues Festival. The band has also been a regular of the
Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC), including Canada Live, FUSE,
Bandwidth and Big City Small World. Kobo Town is working on a follow
up album for the Spring of 2008 and preparing for a U.S. tour. Named
after the vibrant and turbulent neighborhood in old Port-of-Spain
where Calypso was born, Kobo Town strives to recover the social
conscience, satirical storytelling and strong acoustic/organic rhythms
that characterized Trinidadian music in the past.

http://www.kobotown.com

In her quest to make the final 5 for the Famecast Fenom competition
who will battle it out live for the prize of $10,000 in Austin TX on
July 26, 2007, Wildflower Records artist Amy Speace has just overcome
an another important hurdle, by being voted into the Top 10 in the
Country stage.

Amy will be competing for the final 5 stage, with a video of her June
7th performance on Austin's Fox 7 News: Music in the Morning. Voting
on the Famecast site started on July 5th (ends July 12) - simply enter
http://www.famecast.com/amyspeace into the address field of your
browser window.

On her new album "Songs for Bright Street," New York-based
singer/songwriter Amy Speace demonstrates why she's quickly become one
of her adopted hometown's most celebrated emerging artists. Possessing
a commanding voice, a distinctive melodic sensibility and an uncanny
knack for nailing complex emotions in song, Speace makes music that's
both illuminating and effortlessly accessible.

From the rustic rush of "Step Out of the Shade" to the bittersweet
lilt of "Water Landing" to the gentle acoustic intimacy of "Two,"
Songs for Bright Street's 12 original compositions (plus a slyly
countrified reading of the Blondie classic "Dreaming") showcase
Speace's unique gifts, offering catchy Americana with indelible hooks,
sharply observed lyrics and a gritty urban edge. Among those impressed
by her sassy songcraft is legendary folk-pop songstress Judy Collins,
who chose Songs for Bright Street to release on her new Wildflower label.

Amy Speace has already won a loyal grass-roots fan base, thanks in
large part to live performances that merge warmth, humor and emotional
immediacy, and to a tireless touring schedule that's already taken her
across the United States. She's also won considerable critical
acclaim, with The Village Voice observing that Speace is "taking her
Americana away from twangy contemplation toward tangy confrontation"
and noting that she's "not another of those breathy would-be child
poets, but a real singing writer of songs." Time Out New York stated,
"Amy Speace plays sweet, twangy folk music with a clear voice and an
innocent vulnerability," while The Nashville Scene noted that she
"balances wry humor with open-hearted honesty." And renowned Nashville
critic Robert K. Oermann, writing in Music Row, dubbed her a "new star."

For more information on Amy Speace, visit http://www.amyspeace.com

NYC-based, alternative/psychedelic band The Love Kills Theory is
making the first track off their CD, 'Happy Suicide, Jim!' --
"Authenticity" -- available for free download from their myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/lovekillstheory

"Happy Suicide Jim is just lunatic enough to keep your interest up.
Soling and Minics interchange chunky chords, ably assisted by the
sonic IED blasts of Pilato's and Stewart's rhythm section. Brandau's
keyboards add some loopy effects, making the whole project a fine
alternative to the bland pop currently dominating the Billboard
charts... if you're thirsting for a sip of the absurd, Happy Suicide
Jim is the album for you." - Larry Sakin, Blog Critics Magazine

Lil' People Records announced that Afro-Groove singer-songwriter
artist Karlex has been invited to perform the upcoming London Calling
conference, the international music business event taking place at
Earls Court, London on the 28th and 29th June. Karlex will open the
Westbourne Studios' International Night (242 Acklam Road, London W10)
on Wednesday June 27 at 8:20 PM as well as Neighbourhood (12 Acklam
Road) on Thursday June 28th at 8:20 PM. Both shows are free to
conference delegates.

IDTGV, a part of the SNCF which runs France's high-speed TGV trains,
had recently invited the Haitian American performer to perform it's
first musical tour. The seven day tour brought Karlex on the
Paris-Perpignan TGV train line, where he performed tracks from his new
album "Ghetto Fabulous" at the respective stations as well as at the
"Bar iDZinc" in the lounge car during the voyage.

Karlex soulfully fusses the vibes of his native island with funky
guitar sounds and heavy bass, in a unique blend called Afro Groove.
"Ghetto Fabulous" has been making waves in France since its release in
September 2006. The album was selected by "Arte TV" as an October
Event and by "Radio Africa No 1" as Album Of The Week leading up to
the release. Karlex was invited to perform on his song "I've Got News
For You..." France 2's 'Live Acoustic', while also being chosen by
Acoustic Fuel as a 'Daily ReFill - In Celebration of Black History
Month.'

http://www.karlexmusic.com

Boosweet Records CEO and President Vernon Neilly has signed the
international rock guitar virtuoso Kiko Loureiro. Boosweet Records
will release Kiko's products in the USA, Canada, Australia, South and
Central America; with the exception of the guitarists home country
Brazil. The deal provides Boosweet Records all of the digital rights
to Kiko's music internationally.

Kiko Loureiro has risen to international acclaim and stardom by being
the lead guitarist of the world-renown Brazilian rock group Angra.
Currently, he has two solo projects: "No Gravity" and his latest jazz
guitar release "Universo Inverso." In pre-promotion mode, "Universo
Inverso" is already heating up: getting early radio ads, selling well
at online retailers such as Boosweet.com, Amazon.com, Guitarnine.com,
iTunes, and a host of other digital download retailers. "Universo
Inverso" will hit major and independent retail stores here in the US
in July and will be released under Boosweet Records' new deal with
Portland, Oregon-based Burnside.

Vernon Neilly -- himself an award winning recording artist -- is known
for bringing talented artists and musicians to Boosweet, his
independent label. This has been evidenced by his two successful award
winning "G-Fire" releases, of which "G-Fire II" was on the Top Ten
Billboard Retail Charts.

Vernon commented on his signing of Loureiro to his label by saying,
"It is an honor to have my friend and peer Kiko - who is such a
fantastic musician, composer and producer - here at the label. Kiko is
already an international star around the world, and we are going to
make him even a bigger star with his releases in the territories we
control. Kiko is definitely someone who people will want to hear and
see because of his virtuoso technical skills, and great feeling as a
player. You don't have to take my word, just go to his myspace page,
and be prepared to be amazed. He gets tons of hits and comments there
daily."

Kiko Loureiro was recently voted as the #1 progressive/metal player in
the world by reader polls in two of Japans most popular guitar
magazines: Young Guitar and Burrn. He beat out Guitar Gods Steve Vai,
Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, John
Petrucci and a host of others to receive this honor.

For more information concerning Kiko Loureiro and his projects visit
Boosweet Records at http://www.boosweet.com or contact them by email
at info@...

You can also connect with Kiko and listen to his music at
http://www.myspace.com/kikoloureiroband

On Wednesday, June 27th, MusicDish will bring an eclectic line-up of
its artists to toast Astrella Celeste's US release party. Born to rock
'n' roll royalty as the middle daughter of Donovan, Astrella will be
kicking off the digital release of her U.K. hit single, "Dream," as
well as performing songs from her upcoming EP, "Blue Star." Astrella
will be followed by electric, American-roots band Swamp Cabbage and
alternative, psychedelic act The Love Kills Theory.
http://www.musicdish.net/dream/

MUSICDISH "DREAM" PARTY

WHEN: Wednesday June 27th, 2007

WHERE: Gonzalez y Gonzalez
625 Broadway (between Bleecker & Houston)

Doors open at 6:00
Happy Hour at the bar all night
($5 for the best margaritas in NYC)

LINE-UP:
7:00 - 7:35pm
ASTRELLA CELESTE
(pop, jazz, country)
w/ backing band The Brilliant Mistakes

8:05 - 8:50 pm
SWAMP CABBAGE
(electric American roots music)

9:20 - 10:05 pm
THE LOVE KILLS THEORY
(alternative rock, psychedelic & punk)

PRICE: Free

"Dream" is currently in radio rotation throughout the United Kingdom
and is spreading throughout Europe, gaining steady spins in France,
Spain, Italy and Germany amid significant European press coverage in
the Sunday Times Magazine, Hello and the Daily Mail, among others. In
the U.S., recently performed a duet rendition of "Dream" with her
father when the PBS special 'The Donovan Concert: Live in L.A.' first
aired exclusively on Long Island's WLIW-TV in a concert benefiting the
David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World
Peace. On June 9th, she played the prestigious Isle of Wight Festival.
http://www.musicdish.net/astrellaceleste/

The Love Kills Theory is an artistic attempt to bring contemporary
philosophy into the mainstream where it can be accessible and
relevant. The group is fronted by Cevin Soling, who is also known as
the Messiah of Tanna and currently studying philosophy for his Masters
degree at Harvard University. the love kills theory is based on an
amalgam of the works of Guy Debord, founder of Situationist
International, Aldous Huxley, and others, fused with the current
bio-genetic studies on the evolution of despair.
http://www.musicdish.net/tlkt/

Swamp Cabbage is electric American roots music. Swamp Cabbage is
always original even when they're payin' tribute. Swamp Cabbage is
North Florida fatback boogaloo blues from three white guys brave
enough to play The Theme From Shaft without strings and chick singers.
You dance and then you laugh because they pull it off. Fronted by
Walter Parks who has been playing since 2001 with Richie Havens, the
man who made rock history by opening the 1969 Woodstock Festival,
Swamp Cabbage has been in the studio recording their upcomign
full-length album to be released later this year.
http://www.myspace.com/swampcabbage