8pr

2012-02-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

JOIN us on Facebook as we countdown to the launch of 8digital, the new PR & Promotion Platform for the music business. Create and Manage your own media campaigns using our online database. Have your releases and biography written by professional music journalists who know how to target your niche media pathway.

Affordable, controllable, professional service platform with help on hand to raise your profile. Look forward to seeing you....

https://www.facebook.com/pages/8digital/137680266277021

2011-11-04T03:19:00.000-07:00

2011-11-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

Stand back...it's almost here and we're about to launch 8digital ( DIY PR & Promotion Platform)

2011-09-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

FLAVIO CORTES - HIGHER

Frazzled and looking for an escape from the daily grind? Instead of reaching for the herbal calming tablets reach for Flavio Cortes and lose yourself in sublime vocals.

Seven tracks made their way to my inbox from the London-dwelling native of São Paulo, Brazil. Flavio is launching his first release ‘Higher’ on 23^rd October with a show at London Soho Theatre and a later launch planned in Brazil.

Strong Christian beliefs are evident in ‘Zion,’ ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ (sung in Portuguese) and ‘When I speak your name.’ His delivery of these powerful tracks is nothing short of beautiful. He sings like an angel. The music makes you want to just stop and reflect. Flavio’s voice has a natural and very soothing quality to it. An effortless delivery, somewhat akin to Johnny Mathis. My thought is that I would love to hear Flavio sing some soul classics, as I think he has the voice to carry this off.

‘Higher’ is a seven track CD with gentle, love-filled tracks, delivered in a honeyed voice. The goal of this release, according to Flavio is, “to share his passion and belief in God’s power and unconditional love.” The first single “My Beloved” was composed and written by Christian singer Kari Jobe. A first listen on YouTube touched Flavio’s soul so deeply he decided to record it.

His church choir upbringing is very evident in this release. It’s a loving, angelic offering from a very accomplished and talented vocalist.

http://www.flaviocortes.com/

2011-09-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

THE JAYHAWKS

Mockingbird Time

Decca (UMO)

Release date 20 September 2011

Described as rootsy, country rock, The Jayhawks mark their long-awaited return to the studio in the original line-up with Mockingbird time - their first studio album release since 2003. It marks the return of Mark Olson, who brings his Americana and folk driven roots back into the mix. Last November Gary Louris told Roling Stone ‘Mark and I both feel that there is some business left undone and we got together and wrote some great songs.’

Tomorrow the Green Grass had a different feel to this 2011 offering - louder, definite and confident with a rocky edge. Mockingbird has a 60’s Beatle-esque influence, particularly with the title track. Harmonies pervade all tracks delivering plaintive lyrics and Olson’s influence does appear to be the more dominant one here. It could be a more progressive CSNY if you closed your eyes.

‘She Walks in so Many ways’ could be The Finn Brothers. There are a few twists of style, switching back and forth in each track. If you like, Tim Finn, Wilco, CSNY and The Beatles you will enjoy the similarities. It’s not groundbreaking or inventive like Wilco or Grandaddy but it’s a welcome return to many.

2011-09-09T02:40:00.000-07:00

OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST PRESENT SOUL
label : Rhino
Release: 12 September 2011

OGWT soul compilation had me twirling around in profound delight. 'Soul is a state of mind' says Daryl Hall and I say 'Amen brother!' As a dedicated soul fan, some of this I already own. The big six are on here; Marvin, Al, Smokey, Otis, Isleys and Aretha. We've clearly got some masters missing - Curtis Mayfield being one for starters.

Wild Cherry - 'Play that Funky Music' - lordy - did that bring back memories? This is 100% funk with some heart and soul to kick off this superb offering. Sly & The Family Stone's 'Thank you' sounds remarkably like The Fatback Bands's 'Jungle Boogie.' And the beat goes on with Average White Band's 'Pick up the Pieces' - a classic from the Scottish funksters and I'm so glad it's been recognised on here as an OGWT recommend.

I'm not familiar with Betty Wright or her 'Clean up Woman.' Wiki revealed that she has a four octave vocal range that reaches into the 'whistle register,' which, (wiki tells us) is 'the highest register of the human voice.' Who knew? I'm going to test out that theory on my dog and see if Betty Wright can tame him. First recorded by The Brothers Johnson, Shuggie Otis's 'Strawberry Letter 23 was selected for inclusion, with it's instantly recognisable tinkly intro. And who can forget the Reverend? Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together' and Smokey Robinson's knee buckling 'Being with You,' are part of this soulful mix.

As one who put together compilation albums for a living at one point in my life, (with names like 'Drivetime' and 'Comic Release') the rule of thumb was to go for a strong beginning/end and hide everything else in the middle. When licensing from labels they would make you take one duff track for every classic. Its a habit of mine to search out which tracks they have been forced to take, but on this I'm having difficulty and my theory is totally blown out of the water as there are 20 tracks and Smokey is number 10!

A spectacular end with Otis Redding's 'Change is gonna come' and this, to me, is classic soul at it's very, very finest - a track resplendent with key changes and ad-libbing, synonymous with a truly soulful delivery. The uplifting 'Harvest for the World' by the wonderful Isley Brothers closes the compilation and my life is complete.

I'm not going to split hairs over music genre here but if I were being my pedantic self I'd say there were a few funk tracks and quite possibly a smidge of jazz on here but I'm not complaining - honest!

J@8pr

2011-09-06T01:50:00.000-07:00

SKYLANES - Machine Boy
Shotgun Charlie 2011
FREE DOWNLOAD

http://www.shotguncharlie.co.uk/skylanes.htm

SKYLANES is the latest free 3 track offering from Birmingham based artist Dean Cook's alter ago, Machine Boy. It's an astonishing journey through his artistic soundscape of feeling and mood. In the title track, his influences are showing - touches of Tangerine Dream with a smattering of Brian Eno - proffering a quiet stroll through his complex sequences of sound.

FRAMELAND starts gently with the sound building as he guides you into his world that consists of a strangely out of step musical landscape from beginning to end. He has deliberately avoided synching the synths, welcoming the miss-timings "to make it a little more interesting." "No overdubs" he says, when 8pr as for his input, and then "well, I kinda lie a little...the only pre stuff I did was where there are drums..." And then his beat kicks in....off kilter and out of time and somehow it works! Experimental and interesting military style beats form a frame for track #0202. Bass distortion overlaid with tinkling synth sounds just make this work on every level.

Machine Boy's avante garde approach might be common to experimental artists, but he invariably stands out amongst his peers with his staggeringly evocative compositions.

Here's the thing - think of Machine boy as a visual artist as well as an audio artist. Stand back and let the music wash over you in waves of interesting experimental sound.

J@8pr

FB - https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Machine-Boy/23894281992

2011-06-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

THE TROUBADOURS: The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter DVD (Released July 4th 2011)

"James Taylor could kick your ass in 5 seconds..."

When did folk become unfashionable? And are we looking at a renaissance? We’ve got Fleet Foxes, Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale and Mumford & Sons to carry the banner into 2011 and beyond. My money is on them to re-introduce us to Birkenstocks and ponchos but in the meantime, we can watch and listen to the original Troubadours on the new DVD 'The Troubadours: The rise of the Singer-Songwriter,'showcasing singer/songwriters James Taylor and Carole King and featuring luminaries such as Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Joni Mitchell and Steve Martin.

Folk music – born as a backlash to turbulent times; the antitheses to the anger of rock. When the impossibly tall and flamboyant Doug Weston opened The Troubadour folk club on Santa Monica Blvd in 1968, the US had already been mired in war since the extensive injection of US troops into Vietnam in 1961. One of the first scenes on the DVD is of Graham Nash delivering the astonishing soundbite “Do you know who start world wars? People who are over forty!” Amidst a backdrop of war and peace demonstrations the time was ripe for a seachange of honest emotion.

The Troubadour was an open forum for anyone who could wield a guitar and sing a note. ‘Hoot’ night at the Troubie was a vehicle for any artist who cared to step onstage and sing, what was now, part pop, part intensively personal narrative. ‘Hotel California’ author, Barney Hoskyns, is interviewed throughout the DVD and says of James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Neil Young et al, “nobody knew these troubadours would sell millions of records. “ But yet they did just that for years to come. Rock was losing its heart and music was ready for a heartbeat. A quiet revolution of music, steeped in experience and emotion, delivered by true musicians and songsmiths who, collectively worked to serve only the song and not themselves. Altruism was alive and well and hung out at The Troubabour, as the musicians learned from each other, taking turns to “serve the songs” offered up onstage.

James Taylor describes himself as a “recovering addict” who finally cleaned up at 35 years old – not so much a victim of excess but more of artistic angst and escape. Quiet and unassuming, he is passionate about letting the music speak for itself, shunning interviews, believing that to speak about the songs devalues the music. His appearance at The Troubadour in 1969 caused David Crosby to say “he made an eddy…that’s for damn sure…” ‘Fire and Rain’, ‘Sweet Baby James’, ‘Your Smiling Face’, and ‘Carolina on my Mind’ – is just a reminder of the many hits James had over the years. Effortless delivery, calm, measured and sincere is how he maintained his place as a major player in The Troubadour hall of fame. His co-presenter of this DVD is Carole King, who came from the world of the Brill Building tin pan alley , churning out hit and after hit for a variety of artists who didn’t write their own music. Persuaded by James Taylor to sing some of her own compositions at The Troubadour changed the course of her career. Described as not being as “gutsy” as Bonnie Raitt, “wasn’t barefoot like Linda Rondstadt” but was, most definitely, a real woman. Her self-penned hit ‘Natural Woman’ describes this perfectly. Her look swung to earthy rather than pretty but her music touched people, evident by the bar at The Troubadour emptying quickly when her set began.

Artists who couldn’t get arrested were being given a platform for expression and success. An Orange County teenager who wrote lyrics with a maturity that belied his young years was discovered by David Geffen at The Troubadour. His name was Jackson Browne and night after night, in The Troubie bar, Geffen hit the motherload of talent on offer. Steve Martin recounts the birth of [The] Eagles. “What do you think of the name “Eagles” says Glenn Frey to Steve Martin. After a few false starts including “The” in the name, we learn that their name is not “The Eagles” after all but simply, “Eagles”.

With all great success stories comes a dive downwards. Bonnie Raitt describes it as “excess” of “too much money, too many choices, too many drugs” destroying everything in its path. Rolling Stone critic, Lester Bangs, wrote an article entitled “James Taylor marked for death” which highlighted the growing irritation with the singer/songwriter movement. Described by the East Coast as the “mellow mafia”, New Jersey born Danny Korchmar, of the Troubadour backing band, The Section, angrily retorts “fuck you, James Taylor could kick your ass in 5 seconds.” Dismissed as navel gazing, sun drenched, hippy euphoria by the critics, Korchmar’s take on this is that the “music always wins……always…”

Doug Weston’s grip on reality was sliding along with the popularity of his venue. The community that was born of creativity, fragmented as success took the artists on tour and in different directions. Doug was resentful and would take to the stage screaming at the audience to leave. A shrewd businessman, he had tied up most of the artists to make return visits in their contracts which is how Elton John found himself playing Madison Square Garden one week and The Troubadour the next. In the summer of 1975 The Troubadour closed its famous doors. Westin had to be stopped from printing the names of who he held responsible on the front of the marquee. “Things don’t last forever – none of these things are meant to” says James Taylor.

Today The Troubadour has re-opened and is once again a showcase for new talent. James and Carole had a Reunion Tour in 2010, not having been onstage together since 1973. The most moving moment on the DVD is the rendition of You Can Close Your Eyes – “it won’t be long before another day. We gonna have a good time and no one’s gonna take that time away. You can stay as long as you like.”

There’s a moment for everything but The Troubadour legacy lives on in the music. “This is what we are here for – to get people to feel and to find their own humanity. That’s what great music is supposed to do – nothing less.” – Danny Korchmar.

2011-05-02T03:57:00.000-07:00

PUT THE BUNNY BACK IN THE BOX

Indulge me. My passion for film isn’t quite enough to eclipse music but it’s up there. And here’s the thing – I have been told I have terrible taste. This is music to my ears and I cultivate the breadth of awfulness I will sink to. I'm like a mad-eyed toddler revealing plotlines. So here’s Joanie’s top one-liners and moments in film that I think define each film and hopefully it might jolt you into going and watching for the first time or even for the second or third!

NOW VOYAGER (1942) – My alter ego Bette Davis on the balcony with Paul Henreid - “oh Jerry, don’t let’s ask for the moon, we have the stars” and who can forget ALL ABOUT EVE – that Bette Davis delivery of “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be bumpy night.” As Eve exists with her Oscar she says dryly “Nice speech, Eve. But I wouldn't worry too much about your heart. You can always put that award where your heart ought to be.” It makes makes me want to BE her. It’s a defining moment that showcases the ultimate put-down captured on celluloid.

ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the two Washington Post journalists who broke the Watergate story. Stand back for the next sentence. I met Robert Redford three years after he filmed this and he is five times as sexy in the flesh – no question! He asked me about golfing in Scotland and I actually dribbled out of the corner of my mouth as I tried to form an answer. I watched this film recently and I relished the notebooks, the lack of technology and the fact that they had to talk to people on the TELEPHONE to break a story – RADICAL!

There’s a theme about to emerge. Strap on your crampons and check your caribiners because I’m a little bit nuts about climbing, so we have David Breashears’s EVEREST. I saw this at the IMAX and was so ill with vertigo I had to close my eyes. ‘Cliffhanger’ – Sly Stallone and the opening climbing sequence that sets up the film. The girl slips out of her climbing glove as Sly tries to save her life as hangs between two mountain pillars. She shouts “Gabe, Gabe, I don’t wanna die.” – a buttock clenching moment for one who is learning to climb. I went to see this movie with a date who was flying out to the Alps the next day for a holiday and he never called me again.

"…put the bunny back in the box” said a heavily mulletted Nic Cage to a nasty villain who manhandles the pink bunny belonging to his beloved daughter in CON AIR. I bloody love it! Nobody does a villain like John Malkovich. And this leads neatly into my next seminal movie moment “it’s beyond my control.” Again machivaliian Malkovitch as Vicompte De Valmont delivering the withering line to a simpering and delicate Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfieffer). The line is delivered. at first, with bombast and determination which quickly deteriorates into a breathy whisper as he sees her crumple and wither with pain and disbelief that one could be so cruel. There’s more than a few moments of splendid delivery in the 1988 version of DANGEROUS LIAISONS, notwithstanding the immortal line from the Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) ‘When one woman strikes at the heart of another she seldom misses, and the wound is invariably fatal.” Oh so true!

“Mr Grimsdale” –screeched Norman Wisdom throughout all of his films but my favourite moment is from THE EARLY BIRD and is devoid of dialogue. It’s pure slapstick and the best pratfall comedy that I have ever seen to this day.

FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF – the droll teacher roll calling “Bueller, Bueller, Bueller…anyone…anyone…anyone…” just makes me laugh every time!

BRAVEHEART – disgraced Mel as William Wallace - my favourite moment is when the northerners run like Amazonian warriors from the Highlands to the central lowlands and declare “We dun wan' yew Amadans thinkin ye kin have yer fun without us”

ROCKSTAR – When Marky Mark Wahlberg , a lowly photocopy repairman by day (rockstar by night) gives the suited and booted dude a lesson in rock and how to work the photocopier. Office guy spots traces of make-up from the night before. ‘Dude, is that mascara?” To which he replies like the guy is stupid “I’m in a rock band! Can you pay attention?”

SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL – The brilliant Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder at their best. One can’t see and the other can’t hear. The jail scene in the cell when they come back exhausted from a day breaking new ground and pretend to be fine is just hilarious. Richard Pryor on the floor reaching out for his “ppppppillow…ppppillow…..”

THE WOMAN IN RED – another Gene Wilder gem with the wonderful Gilda Radner. The scene where he runs away from her and hides in car still has me falling about. Radner calmly follows him and finds him cowering in the footwell of his car. She leans in the window, releases the handbrake, and just watches the car roll down the San Francisco hill, and all without any hint of emotion. It’s a classic movie moment.

TRULY MADLY DEEPLY - the poignant moment at the very end where she moves on with the real live boyfriend and her spirit love stands at the window and cries surrounded by his ghosty friends. This still moves me to tears.

SLAVES OF NEW YORK – This film made me want to live in New York for years to come. Eleanor’s intensely stupid, cheating, unworthy boyfriend Stash complaining about fleas “it’s invested….the apartment is invested” as Eleanor plays self-help tapes to shore up her collapsing self-esteem that is consistently demolished by this moron who doesn’t know “invested” from “infested”

MOON – Sam Rockwell’s great performance as a employee with a 3 year term on the lonely moon. His alarm when it goes off every morning makes me laugh – Chesney Hawkes – I am the one and only.

DEAR FRANKIE – set in Greenock – a moving film about a wee boy whose mum pretends his dad is at sea and writes to him every week. Gerard Butler is the dad, paid by Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) to be a pretend father, as she evades the hurtful truth being discovered. There’s some fine views in this movie of my hometown.

TOY STORY – the memorable moment as Buzz flies through the air with Woody. “This isn’t flying, this is falling…..with style.” Probably one of best phrases from any animation movie.

MARATHON MAN – Dustin Hoffman as the student who likes to run and Laurence Olivier as The Dentist who likes to torture. Hoffman’s brother is a spy who lands him in a spot of trouble with a Nazi hiding in New York. I read the book and the dental scene is way worse in print than it is onscreen. I still have to shield my eyes at this bit.

SPACE ODYSSEY 2001 – when HAL is being powered down and feels fear "My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm... afraid."

BRUCE ALMIGHTY – Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston have no chemistry but the movie still manages to raise some laughs like God’s clap-on, clap-off lights. Of course God would have this! Stands to reason – right?

This is just part 1 so don’t think this is all!

2011-03-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

MIGRATION OF SOULS - An Exhibition by Alec Galloway - McLean Art Gallery & Museum, Greenock, Scotland

Close scrutiny of Scottish Artist Alec Galloway’s ‘Kelso’ in the McLean Art Gallery & Museum has revealed that we both shared the same wallpaper in the 70’s – textured anaglypta – specifically chosen presumably because it was easy to paint over. It caused a memory flash of my own bedroom. And I realise that this is the main point of Migration of Souls Exhibition - we become separated from the root of our soul over time but flashes of wallpaper, a song or a smell can unlock the door and allow us a peek at what once was.

Greenock, the launching pad of many a migration through centuries, is a bedrock of heartbreak mired in drugs and alcohol. It’s always been a tough old town and those of us who did migrate away made light of the fact that we were children of Greenock. But what do you call that feeling of soaring joy as you look to your right on the way from the airport and take in the view of the hills above Helensburgh? It imprints something within your soul and no matter how hard you try to be someone else you are from this place and these people are like you.

Gradient of a Straight Line is a piece devoted to the changing shoreline. A once thriving shipbuilding community, Greenock is now barren of all but a few cranes from the days of teeming industrial growth. As the developers move in to re-shape the land into something sterile that might appeal to the aficionados of the cruise-ship generation, we see a heritage all but lost – a heritage that both Alec and myself shared with grandfathers and great grandfathers hailing from a long lineage of shipbuilders.

The journey of heritage and memory continues with Punk Nugget Triptych, a humorous tale unfolds of his father re-naming The Stranglers on Top of the Pops with him listening illicitly in “out of father earshot.” I can identify, as one who used to put a pocket transistor radio under my pillow to avoid parent detection. NME clippings stare out from the painting with ads advertising lowest prices for cassettes – 28p. And Debbie Harry makes her appearance in this work – the first of many images depicting her at her height of popularity. As a girl in those days she was to be both feared and mimicked.

A random elderly gentleman on the Greenock waterfront said with great earnest this morning, “ there’s gold in the Perthshire hills.” I thought he was going to ask the time, so before he finished his bizarre statement, I said “9.30!” Klondyke, relating to the Yukon gold rush, explores the inexplicable connection that the Scots have with American Western culture. This is further explored in ‘Plains’ – stained glass Indian Headdress. He believes the connected stems from Scottish and Native Americans forced from their land by “unyielding overlords.”

Music heritage further explored though Clashkite - Gabba Gabby Hey from The Ramones ‘Pinhead’ -encased within an insect wing-like kite structure and further enhanced with yet another image of Debbie Harry. I spot within some of the structures well remembered window glass of the type used in a classroom door, with the small squares -presumably safety glass, guarding against temper filled, fire-starting, object hurling adolescents.

This is a journey to be shared and not confined to just one man. Images from the past in music and heritage leap from the walls in the form of stamps, Suzi Quatro, anaglypta and I wonder how it would be if music were playing and how sound would shape the experience. As a collection it hangs together with colours reflecting the West Coast landscapes, shades of sandstone brown and grey with the ever present crow in foreground and background, resting on disused timber and iron, part of a structure no longer fully present but yet, still with us.

On a final note, as I pondered and reflected quietly on the images in a highhanded manner, my peace was shattered by the fellow to my right loudly breaking wind. As my head whipped round and I said “seriously?” He let rip a second time before hot tailing out the door. I laughed, as I could not think of more apt way to add a humorous full stop to a Greenock Gallery viewing.

www.alecgalloway.co.uk

2011-02-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

KINETICA ART FAIR - LONDON FEBRUARY 2011

Installations as far as the eye can see and they all move! And there were buttons to press – yes, buttons AND levers to make the installations, move, jump, dance, light-up and make a noise. Heaven! The artists and creators were present so if you were baffled as to why someone welded chicken skulls to a robot body and animated them to the dialogue of “Magnificent Seven” then you could ask the motive!

Picture this – a robotic handbag, wriggling around like there was an invisible hand rooting around seeking out the keys that always end up in the bottom corner. Genius!

When it comes to Art and Culture I just think it’s very subjective. You either like something or you don’t. It resonates or it doesn’t. Modern art leaves me cold and yet I do like innovation.And there’s the paradox. I like finicky, tiny little detail and found it in abundance at Kinetica Art Fair – it was like the science museum meets the Museum of Modern Art.

Exploring themes of ‘body, brain and consciousness the installation had an agenda to make us question time, space, destruction and evolution. Organic materials and cybertronics married together to form some disturbing spectacles of strangeness.

Mad for pushing buttons, I tore through the Ambika gallery interacting like a wild thing until I happened upon the spinning light installation accompanied by music. Driven by a programme that was based on haphazard decision-making, the rotations of the hollow structure give it solidity and pattern, colour sound and movement. Particle, the kinetic light installation is the brainchild of audiovisual artist Alex Posada. He answered my inane questions with patience.‘What’s the logic?’ ‘There is is no logic.’ Does the music drive the lights?’ ‘Yes, and the lights also drive the music.’ It took some time for my brain to assimilate the information that it was random and I filed it where I keep ‘string theory’.

The strangeness of the installations is fascinating and the very act of interacting with the product of a person’s mind is just thrilling.

Get your trigger finger ready for Kinetica 2012.

http://www.kinetica-artfair.com/?exhibitors/2011?cat=5

2011-01-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

YOU TAKE THE HIGH MIC...

Lemmy - Directed by Greg Olliver

Lemmy, the iconic rocker – respected by his peers, worshipped by his legions of fans. The newly released DVD directed by Gregg Olliver allows a peek into the strange world of Motorhead’s front man.

So many rock stars appear on this DVD, Metallica’s James Hetfield, Nikki Sixx, Henry Rollins, Alice Cooper and the familiar mumbling of Ozzy. His peers some of whom seem surprised that he’s still upright revere him – if the world ended tomorrow all that would be left would be 'Lemmy and cockroaches.'

Far from the trappings of Hollywood splendour the camera crew find him in a cramped apartment close to his beloved Rainbow Bar & Grill. As he sits hunched over a computer game it’s hard to see through the detritus that he has accumulated over the years. The - never been married- 63yr old proudly shows his action figures in the likeness of himself alongside lethal swords and Nazi military insignia that cover every square inch of his walls. It looks like a kleptomaniac’s paradise.

He cuts a fairly lonesome figure, dressing up in Nazi regalia to play with tanks in the day whilst at night he delivers 120dcb of pure rock to adoring masses. It’s loud. Very loud. I was deaf for a week after my first Motorhead gig.

Now with diabetes and high blood pressure he refuses to change his rock n roll lifestyle and prefers to be true to his image cultivated from his early days in Hawkwind. We’re treated to footage of bare breasted Stasia who accompanied them onstage to dance to ‘Silver Machine,’ much to the delight of hoards of testosterone fuelled lads.

The godfather of rock n roll appears to be filled with integrity but there are undertones of complex emotional detachment, particularly evident in scenes with his son Paul, as they discuss swapping girlfriends. It’s the small things that are more telling in this documentary like the bottle of “Allure’ in his bathroom.

‘This is what I am. This is what I do. This is what I’m supposed to do – right here.’

‘Any regrets?’ asks the interviewer.

‘No. Life’s too short.’

2011-01-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

Above all, however, the machine has no feelings, it feels no fear and no hope ... it operates according to the pure logic of probability. For this reason I assert that the robot perceives more accurately than man. – Max Frisch

MACHINE BOY - THE HAPPY EP

The Happy EP – 5 remixes of Happy Very Happy by the brilliant Birmingham mechanised music maestro Machine Boy as he begins to make his move from the esoteric to mainstream electronic consciousness.

He takes the thorny subject matter of duplicity and creates 'Crushed', 'Album', 'Instrumental' and 'aLive impromptu' mixes to accompany the original track. They run one after the other in varying tempo and motion.'Crushed' mix is fast and stripped back with isolated and repetitive hooks. The 'Album' mix has an atmospheric orchestral instrumental, whilst the actual 'Instrumental' mix is a nod to the 8bit movement.

The different elements running through each of the five tracks don’t seem to detract from the fact that they hang together nicely. You could play this EP from start to finish and it would seem like a super-long progressive electronic experience.

As it flows through from beginning to end it proves it's worth as a multi-textured electronic offering concluding with 'aLive impromptu'- a driving Vangelis inspired mix-which is a staggering 16mins long. Machine Boy has won the battle of prog rock vs electronica in the long track stakes.

www.machineboy.co.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Happy-EP/dp/B0049IMJUS/

2011-01-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

ARE YOU HAPPY VERY HAPPY

If a Litmus test for brilliant Electronic Musicians was ever formulated, Machine Boy would be a benchmarker. His latest offering HAPPY VERY HAPPY offers up his trademark mixture of instrumental soundscapes overlaid with a minimally used digitised female vocal - a penchant which he shares with his contemporary Mistabishi. His title track is a tinkly synth-led number which belies the lyrical content. Happy very Happy seems to be covering the fiery topic of duplicity. In typical MB style the iconic space dude appears to have a message for us all.

Ram Shakler starts out minimal minus the vocal and builds on the synth layers. Mine Staff has a different tempo, is more upbeat with flashes of, what can only be described as, machineboy’esque synth sounds overlaying the basic beat. By the time we get to Grime Hero, he’s displaying his talents as a drummer and we’re hearing those little military drum rolls that hold this track together. Shake Down sounds like he’s playing around with a Bontempi. This is a little repetitive for my electronic taste but it makes good use of its space on this release as the little hi-energy number of the pack.

MB is a cyber drummer. His alter ego is Dean Cook, a Birmingham artist with a reputation for a variety of musical and artistic projects that you would find hard-pressed to hang together in one genre. Cook tends to take things off-kilter with the beats that he uses but sometimes he plays nice for those of us with the inability to digest the truly avant-garde. With Space Man Five he employs an almost cheeky little bossa nova underlay to this great track which busts out all over as it progresses.

Closing the release is Shooting Space. It’s a soundscape that is faintly reminiscent of something Eno/Fripp would produce which is no bad thing in my book.

Oh wait, I’ve missed a track…well I haven’t really. I just wanted to save the best until last. AUTOMATED ALICE. This is the best track that I think MB has ever produced. Unsure if it was inspired by Jeff Noon’s 1996 cyberpunk novel. It’s a very clever composition, not too left-field that it can’t cross over to mainstream and has just the right amount of Jean Michel Jarre to make the masses happy.

A polished and professional offering from a musician who has become a musical auteur of electronica.

Why not be HAPPY very HAPPY for 2011?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Machine-Boy/23894281992

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Very/dp/B003YSUQNG/

www.machineboy.co.uk

A little more visual interpretation of White Square Photoshoot

2010-12-28T14:39:00.001-08:00

A little more bland a little more vanilla

View more presentations from Joanie Fleming.

2010-12-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

FITTING RIGHT INTO WHITE SQUARE

‘Bring stuff that makes you YOU’ was the basic instruction from London based Italian Photographers, Emanuela Franchini and Cristina Cocullo. My ‘stuff’ got a little complicated so I filled a suitcase on wheels to avoid having to choose which outfits from my past best described me. As I dragged my wheely bag through the London Underground I wished that I didn’t have so many heavy facets to my ego. Why couldn’t I have travelled light throughout my life and been a little more bland….more vanilla?

The older I get the more I can see that my face goes around more corners than I had before. In the morning it takes roughly about 30 minutes to unfold from ‘pillow face’ syndrome. So the offer of a photo shoot from these two innovative and eclectic visionaries in the London photographic world was a tad daunting. My first response went along the lines of ‘can we hold off until I lose 14lbs?’ I had up to this point managed to avoid appearing in any photographs by developing a deft duck and dive technique that I had honed to perfection – a perfect technique to mask imperfections, you might say. It took 12 months and I did shed that 14lbs and with it, came the promise of a shoot.

My stomach churned up to the very day and I stood blinking inanely into my bathroom mirror on that very morning with one burning question. How was I going to cover up my black eye and swollen cheek? Swiftly followed by the thought that this was, in fact, the mother of all excuses. Root canal treatment the previous day had wreaked carnage, blackened my eye and made me look like I had gone a few rounds in the boxing ring with Rocky Marciano. Undeterred by the challenge of making me appear like a grown-up who hadn’t elected for dental surgery on the eve of a shoot, the photographer’s reply was ‘Excellent! This should make things much more interesting.’

Eman and Cristina work in tandem as White Square Photography. I knew their photographic work to be edgy and provocative. If I was looking for a normal corporate interpretation of myself then I had come to the wrong place.

Genoa born, Emanuela delights in her visual creativity, spending time with nascent ideas and forming them into quirky concepts. Not only do her shots make you look twice but they also force you into deconstruction whether you like it or not. The Strokes loved one of her shots so much that they asked if they could feature ‘Cheap 70’s Porn’ on the homepage of their website. Award winning Cristina’s shots are technically brilliant, often landscapes and detritus involving dolls and religious icons. She seems to have the ability to bend light in abstract and fantastic ways. I was in good hands and desperate not to disappoint

My vision was of a retro Roxy Music LP cover. Reality was more Chas N Dave in fishnets as my crap came tumbling out of the suitcase. Music CD’s, backstage passes, a biker jacket; a War and Peace sized PR book and some things of nostalgic value – a sequined top my deceased aunt gave me and a vintage 1984 Daryl Hall & John Oates Rock n Soul T-shirt; not to mention enough make-up to sink a battleship (well I need it!) and a saucy little number that I had commissioned from Veritas, the Gothic clothing store, at the height of my ‘Interview with a Vampire’ era.

Some ideas started flowing and we lit some candles flouting all Health and Safety regulations, which I held devilishly close to an inflammable backdrop. Dangerous but wildly playful! The next shots involved a hammer, impossible heels and a pile of CD’s. Alright, now you’re talking! I was giving it my best Gisele. A small voice in my mind was telling me that Gisele was over-reaching. But who cares! There’s always the delete button! Oh yes, I could get used to this I thought as I stepped into the sumptuous bathtub with my clothes on to be showered with….not water….but paper, yes paper – lots of it. Music flyers. Colourful pieces of promotion designed by bands and graphic designers were thrown into the tub with the laptop and me. Oh we laughed! I thought, we won’t be laughing if that tap drips onto this laptop. That would be ‘game over’.

And onto the final shoot on the bed. When I walked in the door with my vintage ocelot jacket the final shoot was done and dusted. The light was poor and the ceiling sloped so the girls were struggling to gain perfection. In a moment of exhaustion I lay down. ‘Stay there!’ they shouted as they embarked upon probably my most comfortable shoot of the day. I got to lie down. Not a bad thing.

My stomach lurched as we sat in the lounge poised to view the fruits of our wacky labour. The only caveat when we started out was not to view any images throughout the course of the day. My finger would inevitably be poised over the delete button and the girls would get nowhere. Here’s what I learned as we viewed the images; the camera will pick up nervousness and shyness and, well, I should never be photographed from behind. It was clear to us that the more the day went on, the less stressed I became, producing more natural shots.

I think everyone should take a shot at exploring their fun side through photography. Whilst I may not be asked to grace the homepage of The Strokes website, I have about 80 great image choices for my Facebook and other pages that make me look far more interesting than I truly am!

WHITE SQUARE PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN

http://photography.yolasite.com/

http://cristinacocullo.yolasite.com/

2010-12-12T10:02:00.001-08:00

TRON LEGACY - IT'S JUST A GAME

Tron Legacy is upon us – the long-awaited, much lauded movie derived from the 1982 original feature. Disney are keen for all to note that this is not a remake and are foggy on even the word ‘sequel’. This is a stand-alone movie with connections to the original. It starts in 2D and finishes in 3D. For the un-initiated in the nerdy glasses, this might not be obvious. To the more technical minded, this switch is breathtaking.

Sam is the son of Kevin Flynn played by Jeff Bridges. The film begins with Sam as a young lad and a motion capture version of Jeff Bridges as a younger man in 1982. It’s a scene setting 20 minutes for those who are not acquainted with the original Tron movie. Flynn Senior has disappeared and his son is now a disgruntled and disaffected heir of his father’s company.

2D gives way to 3D as Sam finds himself on ‘The Grid’ searching for his missing father and finding a whole lot more in a cyber world that has run amok. A dazzling array of games are thrown in the mix with stunning CGI depicting laser Frisbee fights in transparent interlocking containers that rotate in gravity defying life or death combat.

It’s only when the light cycles roar into action that you realise that if ever a movie was made for 3D it was this one. You have to stop yourself flinching as the motorcyclist threatens to land in your lap. Hit the ribbon of light and smash yourself into a flying pile of pixels, clattering and jingling onto a perspex game grid. It becomes a hybrid game/movie – a new genre perhaps closer to machinema than probably the movie industry would care to admit.

Garrett Hedlund plays Sam and he carries the role well for a relative un-known. But it’s Bridges who gets to showcase his laconic style of acting to the full. With his slow drawl he chastises his son by saying “you’re messing with my Zen thing man” as they plan an escape from their entrapment in the grid. Olivia Wilde plays Quorra, the programme that Flynn has salvaged from the grip of his nemesis Clu. She’s a mixture of ‘Amelie’ meets Daryl Hannah’s ‘Pris” from Bladerunner – all wide eyes and kick-ass attitude. A notable performance from Martin Sheen as Castor/Zuse as he camps it up in a style more akin to Clockwork Orange. As Castor befriends Sam in The Grid’s version of a discotheque, the musicians who scored the music, Daft Punk, can be seen in the DJ booth blasting out their single ‘Derezzed’.

And what of Tron himself? Bruce Boxleitner returns to the movie as Alan Bradley/Tron and plays a relatively small but important part in the movie - a little disappointing that more isn’t made of the iconic character.

Word in the aisles is that other distributors pulled their movies out of the way of Tron Legacy for fear of a pounding at the box office on the run up to Christmas. In the land of geek it has been a long-awaited event and it will not disappoint in the visual department but may dip a little in the middle for some. Daft Punk’s Vangelis-type film score helps to lift the movie even higher and what we’re left with is a movie whose high points are marvellous – a technologically groundbreaking piece of cinema, but the establishing scene-setting and dips in the script can weight it back slightly.

4 out of 5 from this reviewer!

J@8pr

2010-11-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

So here's the starter map to launch a publicity campaign. If you get the start-up plan right, the rest will fall into place.

cOmMuNiCaTiOn 101 MAP

Communication 101 map

View more presentations from Joanie Fleming.

2010-11-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

DOOBIE DOOBIE DOOOO

Doobie Brothers, Hammersmith Apollo, London, 29th October 2010

You can hate me if you want, but when I thought about the Doobie Brothers I inevitably heard Michael McDonald in my head. It was for this reason I was a trifle anxious in all the wrong ways to see how this played out. What would they sound like without Michael; what tracks would we get and how could I get my coat dry again as I had accidently kicked my water over? Sans cap the bottle was just a sitting target for my restless foot and a consequence of worried bar staff who confiscated the cap in case I filled it with pee and lobbed it at the stage. Ok, fair do’s on that one.

Take me in your Arms was the first track and it left me in no doubt that they were about to deliver. They present as an 8 piece band; two drummers, 1 bass guitarist, 3 electric guitarists, 1 sax player and 1 keyboardist. The sound is gritty, bluesy with a twist of John Fogerty. ‘Jesus is just Alright’was a three part harmony gospel number that showcased their California roots from the halcyon days of the 70’s.

They jump from 1973 to 1996 with the rocky ‘Dangerous’from their Rocking Down the Highway’ live album; some good old fashioned bluesy rock with some of the best guitar playing I’ve heard all year. Founder member, Tom Johnston, patrolled the stage aggressively grimacing like a madman scaring all the silver foxes in the first 10 rows.
In what could only be described as a revolving door of musicians Patrick Simmons seems to have been the most consistent Doobie member and his very beautiful Crosby-styled ‘Clear as the Driven Snow’ from the ‘The Captain and Me’ album filled the Apollo with sweet harmony.

Delving into Doobie history I realised that the band were a game of two halves really. As they came to the end of their short set with Takin’ it to the Streets, I realised that most of the Michael McDonald years had been erased – ‘Minute by Minute’, 'It Keeps you Runnin’ and ‘What a Fool Believes’– all missing from the setlist. They returned to the stage with the bluesy ‘Black Water’, followed by two more well-known tracks to finish, ‘Long Train Running’ and ‘Listen to the music.’

No question that their musical skills are second to none and this was some of the best guitar playing I have heard in a long time. So many tracks I wanted to hear from them, but the soulful element that McDonald brought to the table was sidelined and it makes you ask why.

2010-09-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

Very excited about the 8digital trial in the UK, helping bands create and plan their own campaigns in the DIY changing face of the music business. We've closed the first wave of trials but are gearing up for the second wave so please get in touch to discuss a FREE pack to test for us.

2010-08-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

HIGH VOLTAGE FESTIVAL 24^th July 2010

The discovery that I had forgotten the stage times wasn’t my finest moment. So here I stand in front of the information booth at the High Voltage festival asking the seller of programmes if I can photograph the 3 lanyards with stage times and access NO areas, retailing for the princely sum of £5. You can take a girl out of Scotland but…..

With very small photos on phone and no reading glasses what good these miniature stage times would do me remains to be seen….or NOT as the case may be. And besides I saved myself a fiver and that could translate to a cup of coffee and, well, maybe half of a muffin because a whole muffin would take us well over that fiver budget.

I shuffled my way to the Prog Rock stage because the music emanating seemed comforting. Instinct told me that the percentage of people who had forgotten their reading glasses here at this stage was a little higher than the other stages. I ate my rice pot and peered at my phone, willing the picture to swim into view and reveal the next band. The accidental discovery of the picture zoom button by a stray finger revealed that Gary Moore was imminent on the main stage. With only enough time to congratulate myself on this and the fact that I remembered my handy wipes, I sped across the park and delivered my ears to Moore and the rest of myself became planted behind acres of tattooed flesh.

Gary, with a face like a well-chewed toffee, launches into 'Over the Hills' – a Celtic joy fest of drums and guitars. He moves onto 'Thunder Rising' while I curse myself for standing up as my view doesn’t improve and I accidentally tap my bad knee. I’m thankful to sit during 'Where are you now' – a slower tempo invoking some slow dancing from the crowd. I get the impression more people would sit during this one if it weren’t for the fact that half the field would get on your arse and stay there. I’m feeling a bit lonely with no one to slow dance with. I figure if I cry my wayward contact lens might pop out of my eye. Double win.

You can now find me sitting on a smart blue blanket to protect my rear from the scrubby grassland of Victoria Park for the next round of rock. By the time I lifted my head from my bag of cookies Foreigner had appeared on the main stage. Double Vision - one of my favourite Foreigner tracks, mildly tainted by Burger King’s usage in a Double Whopper ad on telly. Lead singer Kelly Hansen resplendent in white jeans is a vision of 80’s hair rock and it doesn’t come any better than this because it just sounds great! 'Head Games' and 'Cold as Ice' follow giving me shivers of delight on this balmy evening. The guitar sounds a tad low to me but Hansen just nails the vocals to perfection. Hands together in the air people for 'Can’t Slow Down' and the black button detail on those white jeans are messing with my hearing ability and concentration.

Step up to the front of the stage the founder of Foreigner Mick Jones to ‘say hi to your country’ and to introduce a track he wrote from the first album, Starrider. This is an indulgently long prog rock track with a heavy bass line overlaid by synth – a little dated – but cinematic in scale and magnificent to hear live.

The crowd want a known single and they get it with 'Feels like the First Time’ quickly followed by 'Urgent' which breaks into a sizzling sax solo. 'Juke Box Hero' – not one of my personal favourites but the guitar solo is a killer. A second contact lens ‘whale’ fail moment barely mars 'I want to Know What Love is' – because nothing can touch a rock anthem as iconic.

A wave of long fake beards are the dead giveaway. “No wait – go on – tell me which gig you are on your way to” said a group of teenagers to the beard-clad posse on the way to the festival. ZZ-Top. The Texas bluesmeisters. ‘Have Mercy’ punched the air as the first track. If they were any more laconic they would be asleep onstage. Effortless they wound their way through 'Cheap Sunglasses' and 'I’m Bad I’m Nationwide'. That gruff ‘20 cigs a day and a bottle of bourbon voice’ is just tailor made for the blues that emanates from the stage. The guy selling Gaymers to the crowd starts to bust some moves waving his cups in the air, detracting attention from the stage as they move from Hendrix ‘Hey Joe’ to 'Gimme all your Lovin’ much to the delight of the throng. Crowd gone wild when Sharp Dressed Man cranks up. Fun fur guitars at the ready to deliver She’s Got Legs and before you know it the show is over.

“The same three chords from the same three guys.” Their words – not mine.

2010-06-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

PR JARGON BUSTER

Checking in on the Chartered Institute today and I thought it would be a great idea to provide their fabulous Jargon Buster with a twist. I’ve slanted it for the music business…

B2B
This relates to communication between business – one professional service to another service

B2C
Communication between yourselves and your consumers

COMMUNITY RELATIONS
This is when you reach out to your local community and do a great gig for them!

CONSULTANCY
This can be a an individual or an agency that you reach out to for PR services

COPYWRITING
This is the production of text for your website; release, bio etc.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
A company who has their own comms department to handle their own issues like a large label

CORPORATE & SOCIAL RESPONISIBLITY (CSR)
This is where you implement your ‘green’ policy

CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Always good to plan for a crisis!

E-PR/ONLINE PR
Speaks for itself – this is your online campaign

EVALUATION
This will tell you how successful your campaign is

FEES
The charges made by consultants or agencies and can be apportioned over the entire campaign or you can provide a ‘retainer’ to the consultant

SPONSORSHIP
When Pepsi calls you up and tells you they want to underwrite your tour!

MEDIA MONITORING
This examines your press/TV/Radio coverage

MEDIA RELATIONS
Establishing and building good relationships with the media

PITCH
Presentation to you to tell you how fabulous we all are

PRESS RELEASE
Your statement of whatever your promoting that may be of interest to a publication

PUBLIC RELATIONS
The determined, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between yourselves and everyone you interact with including your fans, your press, your media with a view to establishing and maintaining your reputation within the music world

RESEARCH
Background information that will be important to your strategic campaign

2010-06-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

KASSIDY @ THE MONTO WATER RATS, LONDON 2 June 2010
Pining for the days when we still had LP's instead of EP's; Side 1 was slow and Side 2 was fast.....

I knew it was serious when I saw rack of guitars onstage. It meant one of two things – that a member of Kassidy was on a par with Jackson Browne in the guitar rackometer or all four members were guitar players. I glanced down at my shoes to check out my toes and when I looked up all four band members were onstage each clutching a guitar. No need for anymore speculation on that front. Without a preamble, they launched into ‘Night in the Box’, the first track on their ‘Rubbergum’ EP. It was a full force, in-your-face delivery with very sweet harmonies. And these guys can sing! Suddenly my toes became less interesting.

Immediate thoughts included ‘ there’s a lot of hair onstage’ as well as ‘my ears are laughing with joy’ and maybe just a smidge of ‘I wish I had picked the saucy siren red toenail polish' to impress the wildly hirsute men-folk lined up in front of me on the small stage.’

If Crosby, Stills, Nash and quite possibly Young had a boy child it would look and sound like these guys. Harmonising reminiscent of CSNY’s ‘Suite Judy Blue Eyes’ breaks forth as launch into the rest of their set which could easily have been delivered circa early 70’s. ‘Stray Cat’ from the aforesaid ‘Rubbergum’ is their current single release on Mercury. It’s a catchy little number with overtones of The Doobie Brothers. They are ALL about the music and are not stretched to pull off an impressive, almost acapella 'Eagle-esque' harmonising on the breakdown of this song. If you strip away the music these guys would still be in key – impressive!

As they race through ‘The Traveller’, ‘Betrayal’ and ‘Yeah’, all thoughts of my toes disappear and are replaced with warm feelings towards beards. I’m jolted back to reality as they break out the accordian. My rational mind is searching for the song title. My irrational mind knows that a band who has the chops to bust a move with an accordian solo get my award for ‘cojonies’ of the year’.

The sons of Glasgow have a 70’s Americana feel to their music. It’s an odd peculiarity that the Scots seem to particularly excel at this genre for some bizarre reason. One just knows they can tell their Buffalo Springfield from their Crazy Horse.

Kassidy are accomplished musicians who delivered a great set to a typically tepid London crowd. Before we knew it, they were off and running towards a scheduled spot on Xfm. I looked down at my toes and they were curled with pleasure as I thought about ringing that mobile phone lodged in the pocket of a pair of leather strides...

And for some reason I couldn't get this Eagles 'Desperado' image from my mind, so thought I would plant the seed of a possible album cover....

2010-05-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

BBC OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST DOUBLE CD REVIEW

I was thinking very carefully when I put together my Cali Dreamin’ playlist on Spotify. I had a smug smile of satisfaction at nailing what I thought was a pretty good soundfest of sunshiney 70’s genius. When The Old Grey Whistle Test double CD dropped through my letterbox the very next day I was astounded to see 2/3rds of my playlist on there including my ‘wildcard’ Warren Zevon track, ‘Werewolves of London’. Bizarre.

48 tracks bafflingly compiled together with OGWT as the common denominator. I’m guessing they all appeared on there at some point as only two of the tracks, (‘Because the Night’ – Patti Smith and Al Stewart’s ‘Year of the Cat) are live on the OGWT and of course, the theme tune, Area Code 615’s ‘Stone Fox Chase’ is on there as the last track on CD 2.

CD 1 has more than it’s fair share of Californian goodness circa the 70’s. Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Don’t Stop’ sits alongside James’s Taylor’s classic ‘You’ve got a Friend’. Following in James’s footsteps is LA Troubadour playmate of the late 60’s and 70’s Linda Ronstadt with ‘It’s so Easy’. Let’s just examine this Troubadour link, shall we? 20 of the artist have played at the Troubie and Rickie Lee Jones ‘ Chuck E’s in Love’ was actually written about Troubadour employee Chuck E. Weiss. I’m leaning towards a name change for this compilation.

The first CD offering on the compilation has a quieter singer/songwriter beginning. The late, great John Martyn’s ‘May you Never’ is included and brings to mind the genius of Martyn’s music. Judee Sill’s famous track appears on CD 1, ‘Jesus was a Crossmaker’, originally released on David Geffen’s label Asylum and produced by Graham Nash (of Crosby Stills & Nash) in 1971. It’s a beautiful track from Sills who died in 1979, somewhat reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, who doesn’t appear on this compilation but who is as much a part of the Troubadour scene as the other artists including Nash.

J.D. Souther – everybody’s favourite lothario - has ‘Black Rose’ included. Souther was an original ‘Eagle’ in the 70’s before leaving to pursue a solo career. Black Rose signals a turn in the tempo on CD 1 and it steps up a beat; Little Feat’s Dixie Chicken and Warren Zevon’s ‘Werewolves of London’ start adding a little bit of spice to the proceedings. Ah, the familiar guitar intro for Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good’. This is a great autobiographical track from the crazy Eagle. Santana are squeezed in here with the beautiful instrumental Samba Pa Ti before we get bi-coastal and move onto The Cars, Television and Patti Smith, with a final hop across the Atlantic to Blighty for Mott the Hoople’s ‘All the Young Dudes’.

Thought it couldn’t get any better but then came CD 2 and the first track is the brilliant Doobie Brothers’ ‘Long Train Runnin’, quickly followed by the best singer in rock, Paul Rodgers, with Free’s ‘All Right Now’. I’m not a big Clapton or Van Morrison fan so ‘Behind the Mask’ and ‘Moondance’ make me feel like I’m in the waiting room until the arrival of Crazy Horse with a track penned by lead singer Danny Whitten, ‘I Don’t Want to Talk about It’ – and we’re BACK! Saying this is a Rod Stewart track is like saying Paul Young owns ‘Everytime You go Away’. And before you ask, it belongs to, was written by, and originally sung by Daryl Hall.

I admit to not knowing much about The Edgar Winter Group but DID know ‘Free Ride’ – a great track that I find remarkably similar to the Ohio Players ‘Love Rollercoaster’ as I kept veering off from one to the other whilst singing loudly. Always an indication of similarity in my book. Another sing-a-long track appears - Rod and the Faces’ ‘Ooh La La’. A foot stompin’ ditty written by Ronnie Wood and Ronnie lane and here’s the nerdy facts – it’s Ronnie Wood singing lead and not Rod! I bought the next track as a single when it was released in 1983. Robert Plant’s incongruously titled ‘Big Log’ from his solo album ‘The Principle of Moments’.

Rory Gallagher – a legend – and a brilliant track on here – ‘Bought & Sold’. It’s a welcome relief from Al Stewart’s ‘Year of the Cat’ sounding unquestionably like the Pet Shop Boys. I always wanted very much to love Gram Parsons. He was tragic rich kid with a trust fund and a penchant for country music who overdosed on drugs. ‘Love Hurts’ is a duet with Emmylou Harris and it’s a little more palatable than Parson’s usual fare. James Taylor and Carly Simon provide the second duet on CD 2 with ‘Mockingbird’.

Curved Air’s 1971 hit ‘Back Street Luv’ precedes my jewel in the crown – Todd Rundgren’s ‘I saw the Light’ from his 1972 album ‘Something/Anything’. Rundgren is an underrated artist; a brilliantly eclectic songwriter and performer. My gladness to see this track included was marred at seeing the Yes track ‘Wonderous Stories’. I love Yes. I’m a huge fan. But I’m not a fan of this particular track. Naturally, the album finishes off with Nashville’s Area Code 615’s Stone Fox Chase; the familiar OGWT theme tune

June 7th 2010 is the release date for this double CD. It harbours a cornucopia of delights, with just the right mix of singer/songwriter, pop and prog rock. The real beauty of this album is that it leads you back to explore classics long forgotten from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Randy Newman and maybe takes you on a journey of discovery as you listen to artists like Gram Parsons and Richard & Linda Thompson. It’s a pimped up sweet ride down memory lane.

Cutting the Cake with Alan Gorrie

2010-05-17T14:13:00.001-07:00

Nick Wells of Bass Guitar Magazine cuts the cake in the May 2010 edition with 8pr friend Alan Gorrie of Average White Band.

Awb bass guitar pge 1

View more documents from Joanie Fleming.

2010-02-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

SPAM – AN INCONVENIENT FOOD FOR THOUGHT

What would you say if I told you there was a groundswell of support for a Bill of Rights governing how a PR Professional approaches a journalist? Let me tell you what this would mean for everyone in terms of communication campaigns conducted on your behalf.

Permission is required from recipients of press releases and all unsolicited material will be labelled spam.

A PR professional should not solely rely on media lists (purchased or otherwise obtained) as the basis of a campaign

Telephone chasing and follow-up calls will be frowned upon after a story pitch

A release should sport a succinct headline so that the journalist can make a decision of interest quickly

A recipient has the right to refuse attachments to corresponding email

Understandably there is a mixed reaction to this campaign. In truth, as a CIPR trained practitioner, I’m surprised it has taken so long to be addressed. There are so many PR and Promotions Agencies out there only too willing to take your £500 and spam publications in your name. This leaves pissed off journalists and no media bites at the cherry for you. At the end of your campaign you’ll be given a formidable list of contacts made on your behalf, half of which have no relevance to you.

Agencies that promise you scattergun press release are not strategically planning your media pathway. Being in possession of a media list does not make anyone a PR professional. You might as well light a match to your hard earned cash.

Succinct headlines within the release are a common fault with a large proportion of press releases submitted to media. Give the journalist some credit to bring the facts to the fore in a story.

The block on attachments is something we at 8pr have been trying to address and we are currently using a Social Media Release with a complete set of URL addresses pointing the way to everything the journalist needs to know about the artist online via a series of click throughs.

At the moment, The Bill is currently just a debate but it serves to highlight poor practice within the profession and suffice to say, it’s not been well received in the industry. With a scattergun approach looking like a thing of the past, the PR industry can settle down to their dedicated function of integrated skills in communication strategy, distancing themselves from being hailed as glorified postmen/women delivering promotional, untargeted spam.

The professional PR bodies – CIPR and PRCA are yet to make comment. The CIPR have offered to facilitate a session with practitioners, media, bloggers and the campaign founders to find a way forward.

Whatever the outcome, 8pr are fully onboard with strategic targeting and have always and will continue to adhere to the ethical charter.

J@8pr

2010-01-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCING - MUSIC SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE FOR MACHINE BOY and the beauty about this method is that we've edited with Machine Boy's latest press and new player!

MACHINE BOY SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

View more documents from Joanie Fleming.

2009-09-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Natascha Slasten - Romy Vogtlände

THE WOMAN BEFORE
SOHO THEATRE - London

Frank quietly sorts his records, packing them into boxes in preparation for the family moving abroad. A knock on the door heralds a disastrous encounter with an ex girlfriend who has come back to claim her prize of eternal love after 24 years. The Woman Before, written by Roland Schimmelpfennig and directed by Juliane von Sivers sifts through the expectation of a life lived and the embers of one that never sparked into being.

Frank and the homely Claudia prepare for the second phase of their life together. Their son Andi is coming to terms with leaving his girlfriend Tina behind when they see a tall and glamorous woman approach the house wearing a raincoat. Tina has a bad feeling watching from a distance as Frank opens the door to Romy Vogtländer, the woman he swore to love eternally 24 years before. What does she want after all these years apart?

Claudia is aghast that this stranger can come into her home and claim the love of her husband and be so sure that it will be returned without question. Confused and angry she sends Romy away but the questions are bubbling to the surface as she and Frank have a heated exchange on exactly what Romy meant to him all those years ago. Then, unexpectedly, Romy is brought back into the family home by Andi, whose relationship with his girlfriend Tina seems to mirror the love affair Romy and Frank once had.

As the drama unfolds the deluded Romy ups her game coveting what isn’t hers to take and uses her sexuality to convince Frank that leaving with her would be the right thing to do. But there is a catch. He must erase the last 19 years of his family life. A refusal to do so is a deadly deal breaker.

The femme fatale character of Romy (played by Natascha Slasten) is a complex dichotomy of the brave and the vulnerable. To arrive at the door of an ex lover after 24 years takes courage and raises questions about the pain of a life that has not brought her everything she had hoped for. There is a deep truthfulness to Romy and Slasten cleverly plays this facet of the character. We recognise the familial relationships but who is to say everyone is happy within the confines of an outwardly secure family structure. She questions loyalty and the ease of making a promise that can so easily be forgotten over the years.

Schimmelpfennig’s play is a mixture of the dark and broody world of obsession and manipulation juxtaposed with the light, comfortable but ultimately unhappy relationship that Frank and Claudia enjoy. It raises questions about true love, relationships and what it means to make a promise.

Brilliantly casted, The Woman Before, captures your attention from beginning to its climactic end and poses the question “Are you living the life you always wanted?”

Frank - Philip Allinson
Claudia - Anne Bird
Romy Vogtländer - Natascha Slasten
Andi - Gary Buckley
Tina - Nichole Bird

2009-05-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

11 Commandments

The 11 Commandments is an exhibition at Southwark Cathedral by the Italian Photographer Cristina Cocullo. This is a provacative and fascinating exploration of the contemporary state of faith using the commandments revealed to the Prophet Moses. The fact that the oldest cathedral church building in London are hosting the 11 Commandments charges this exhibition with perhaps a frisson of controversy to create a 'must see' event.

2009-05-06T14:27:00.001-07:00

EASY TO SPOTIFY

According to a friend of mine it sounds like a “Bushism” – you know, like ‘recordify’? Aside from that fact, we need to pay attention to Spotify because everyone else is raving about it at the moment and my motto is ‘if you’re not fast, you’re last. Still in Beta testing from October 08, if you’re lucky enough to have an invite to test drive this new music access platform, then you’re one of the lucky ones. The writer was not invited but somehow managed to download the player. I’m thinking prayer and magic were involved rather than exclusivity and a firewall breach. I fear that they lost control of their exclusivity by my mewling and begging and repeated inept attempts to get into the club and they capitulated. But since we’ve mentioned the war we might as well start by firing on all cylinders if you’ll excuse the pun. Yes, Spotify was hacked – but not by me I might add. 32 Spotify accounts were cyberjacked. Daniel Ek, the CEO and founder said recently at the OpenMusicMedia Forum in London, that they took full responsibility for the breach by some Swedish hackers and that security has been sufficiently tightened. Lesson learned.

HERE COMES THE SCIENCE PART

The need for speed - it’s fast. No doubt. They’ve made it all about convenience. Streaming is Ogg Vorbis q5 @ 160kb/s. Don’t pretend you know what that is. Personally, I thought I might have purchased something similar in red from Ikea. Let me enlighten you: Ogg is a file format and Vorbis is an audio compression. It appears to sound better than an Mp3 and this links back to Spotify’s mission to provide a first class user experience.

MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU

Artists of the world – let’s start with you since without you there would be no music to create a platform for. Think about ownership vs. access – DRM free content allowing music lovers to stream your music without a subscription but with advertisements interspersed with the streaming. The idea is to monetise content by allowing the user to listen in full and make a well informed purchasing decision that could lead to them buying your whole catalogue.

Labels of the world – you really do want your artists on here. This is a model that is income generating with an easy interface. Gird your loins, here comes the bad news – if you are independent you may have a little longer to wait. The majors have signed up and according to Daniel (CEO) they are working out terms to allow independents and artists themselves to sign on. It is possible to get into the Spotisphere through CDBaby and word on the street is that Spotify hope to have a plan in place for independent labels and unsigned artists that includes an uploading platform for content owners.

Consumers of the world – You have options and are not tied in to some contract spawned in Hades. The three levels of heaven are: FREE with ads played every 20 mins or 0.99 Euros for a DAY PASS without ads or 9.99 Euros per month for PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION without ads. The downside is invariably that when you sign up for the monthly Premium you’re on a rolling payment which will deduct automatically each month until you deactivate so set a timer on your smartphone to pull the plug and this will give you more control.

Effectively for 0.99Euros you could give your mum a ‘Barry Manilow Day’ consisting of an empty house, pots of tea, 1 large bar of galaxy and his entire back catalogue played out by Spotify.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

The answer to that question largely depends on who you are. Spotify is a social music platform that exploits shared playlists and encourages communities (Spotify Friends). For the Artist & Label this creates an opportunity to encourage word of mouth interest. For the Consumer this is another chance to connect with fellow fans of similar musical taste. Despite the fact that it couldn’t launch at a worse time for advertising they seem to be doing not too badly. This is the chance to directly target your demographic and we’re told that the Spotify user is 55% male 25 – 35 years. With an average listening time of 1 hour per day, they are highlighting clickthrough for ads as being 1% for audio and a little lower for display.

Spotify passed its millionth user mark on the ad free option only time will tell if the ad-free funded division will prosper but what we DO know is that the URL is the new MP3.

J@8pr

2009-03-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

LA LA -ing around

So these new muso business models are falling under scrutiny aready under the heavy weight of economic doom and gloom. Digital downloading sites linked to ad revenue streams like SpiralFrog and Imeem are coming under fire for underperforming. Looks like we were expected to sit in front of the monitor and watch the ads whilst waiting for our free downloads, we seem to be wandering off to make a cup of tea/watch the telly/do our homework/pick our teeth....And the ad industry have found this out ~ gasp! Imeem is up for sale having struggled to generate income and went cap in hand to the music industry to ask for a reduction in licensing fees. The request was granted but its unlikely to attract any future labels unless it converts streaming to sales. SpiralFrog wraps its music in DRM but the biggest issue with this company is that it is Windows-compatible only. It appears that labels are fearful of cannibalization of iTunes by opening up ipod support and lets face it - they get more revenue from iTunes.LaLa seems to be the darling of the start-ups - a new hybrid model of CD swopping service, personal music library amd streaming service with the chance to purchase replays of each song for 10 cents and download a DRM-free copy for 89 cents. The reason this service emerges a star? Well in case you hadn't noticed it charges you a very small fee (10 cents) to stream and to do this it will have taken your credit card details so is geared for an impulse buy (like iTunes). Purchase stats are 180 follow through purchases for every 1000 tracks they listen to. Sampling and discovery seem to be the keywords here. To get your tracks on LaLa you need to have a digital distributor. It uses http://tunecore.com/ and http://cdbaby.com/ to pull your track info through if you don't have a major and your bio is pulled from Wikipedia so make sure your entry is up-to-date.

http://lala.com/

2009-03-02T05:23:00.001-08:00

ADAPT OR DIE

Yes, I have been remiss in the upkeep of the blogging thing. We've been slogging away trying to get the new website up and running (more on that later!).We are about to try a 'no-strategy', 'no frills', pay per results scheme (for digital PR only) and primarily involving unsigned artists. This means a small one-off fee to cover the cost of the press release and from there the charge for the campaign will be levied only on results involving targeted media.We're fine-tuning the detail and that involves a legal document/contract fleshing out a results based fee paying schedule with a cap on the final figure.Stay tuned for a Rate Card....

2009-01-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

WE WANT TO GET IT RIGHT!

Which is why its taking us longer than we anticipated to get the website up and running. We're hoping for beginning of February and would love your comments when it comes to fruition!

2008-10-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

PR PUPPETRY

Two socks discuss the merits and the meaning of public relations...

Pr Puppetry

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: institute chartered)

2008-06-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

8 - INFO BUZZ: DO YOU HEAR THAT BUZZING NOISE?

Launching from the BBC is SOUND INDEX - a collation of the internet buzz. It uses IBM's Semantic Super Computing to crawl all the major sites (BBC, bebo, Last.fm, You Tube, myspace, iTunes, Google, Amazon) and pick up data which it charts into a Top 1000.

A useful tool for the Publicist to track artist plays and gossip across the biggest networking sites. It is currently in beta testing mode at the moment and we've had a chance to have a sniff around. It does provide interesting data in relation to where the artist seems to have a dominance across all the social media sites.

We use media monitoring companies to track coverage but with Sound Index this can be done in-house.

2008-05-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Google Friend Connect are previewing some coding to add social features to your website. They have not opened this up generally but are asking for interested parties to fill out a form.

There will be a central control panel and you choose the gadgets you want including a review of your work with space for comments, an iLike section for people to pinpoint their likes (and dislikes about your work/site etc.). This is generally an interractive set of widgets that will be made available.

Sign up Form

2008-03-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

8 - ENDORSE - SHOCK & AWE - Photographer Emanuela Franchini shares her fascination for electrical appliances!

PHENOMENAL is how her talent has been described! Emanuela Franchini - Photographer. Italian by birth and living in London. Her SHOCK and AWE shots are making waves on Flickr and we had a chance to catch up with her to ask some leading questions…

Your pictures are provocative in taking you to a new level of understanding the concept of them. When you think of an idea, is it around a theme, or an incident in the day?

I get my adrenaline rush from photography, it’s therapeutic and it’s a lot of fun so it all usually starts with a physical urge to create, I’m rarely aware of what the final product will be as it’s all a work in progress, an adventure. A good starting point is to visualize a place or a situation and then try to imagine what should not be there. Once I find it, I just put it there and click.

Are you trying to express yourself in your pictures?

Indirectly, yes. The end result is an obvious consequence of the inner creative process which most of the time happens in quite an unconscious way to the point I’m even slightly puzzled by the end result myself. More than expressing myself, I try to present an alternative take on reality to exorcise reality.

Are you trying to reveal your personality in a way?

It’s invevitable. I’m a free minded person, I love to laugh so most of my shots are intended to make people smile and not take life too seriously.
When I take pictures I’m like a kid in a playground, I run, I jump, get my clothes dirty but then I try to be home for dinner.

What inspires you?

Anything. People, sounds, objects, the ordinary. The things around me are a great inspiration simply because we see them everyday and it’s fun to try to reinterpret their use with a twist. I like to look at things from a different angle and see what happens. I’m particularly fond of electrical appliances. I like to push their boundaries!
In terms of inspirations from other photographers I don’t really have heroes but there are people I like. I would say Mark Velaskez (he even wrote a short testimonial on my Flickr profile), LaChapelle, Terry Richardson, Wolfgang Tillmans and I find Gregory Crewdson images very fascinating.

What drives you?

The urge to play with my imagination and see where it takes me.

How are you responding to your success on Flickr?

It’s interesting to see how people react differently to my shots. Some give their own personal interpretation which might not necessarily be what I intended to get across but I don’t mind, I actually find it quite stimulating to see what type of sometimes unexpected reaction my images are stirring.

Are you afraid of being open to professional criticism?

Not at all. Being self tought I like an expert opinion.

What would you say to a feminist who said you might be exploiting yourself in some of the shots?
When it comes to art I see no boundaries but people have their own personal perception of whatever they see and this is usually influenced by their own background which I have no control of.

In the more extreme shots (like the botox one) how would you deal with criticism that this might provoke self harm?

Regarding the Home Made Botox shot, I could promptly reply saying ‘didn’t you notice the iron is unplugged?!’ and I would probably proceed pointing out that the cabbage in this shot (hasn’t been harmed because again the hair dryer was unplugged (not even passive smoke because the cig was off).

What's your background and when did your interest start?

I’ve always been a very visual person. When I was a kid I used to draw and paint so photography has been an obvious consequence I guess. I’ve been given my first camera as a present when I was eight. It was an old pocket Kodak from the early 80s but I was more fascinated by my dad’s old Agfa from the 60s. I wasn’t really allowed to touch it till I grew up. I still have it. Then a friend gave me his Yashica 2000, manual film camera, no auto focus and just few settings to play with: aperture and shutter speed and ISO. A really good way to learn. Then, reluctantly, I moved to digital and got a compact Samsung Digimax which is quite good cause all settings can be set to manual (apart from focus obviously). I now have a proper DSLR, a Nikon D40 which I love.In tearms of technique I’m totally self tought. When I was doing film I used to play with the settings and write them down for each shot, then when the film was developed I could see what the result was and compare it with the settings I used. I was taking a lot of random shots just to test the settings and learn how to capture light and use it to my own advantage and be creative with it.

Do you have a fave photo and why?

I don’t think I have. It’s usually the last shot I’ve taken cause the thrill of creating it and bringing the image to life still lingers on me for a little while. When the thrill fades I’m ready to challenge myself and see what I can come up with.

Emanuela is currently developing her webspace. She is keen to make contact with anyone interested in her images for commercial usage and is happy to explore exhibition opportunities. To get in touch email joan@8pr.co.uk

2008-03-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

8 -VIEW - GHOST of CD

Hot on the heels of Radiohead’s radical album release model for ‘In Rainbows’ Nine Inch Nails have announced their digital plan for Ghosts I-IV.

The experimental tactics for the release of Ghosts I-IV include free sharing of the first nine tracks of 36 available. The free downloads appear on unauthorised file sharing networks, with bundled graphics available through their own web portal using BitTorrent technology.

The pricing tier kicks in with a 36 track collection for $5 available from their portal and Amazon.com Third tier is $10 for a two disc through bricks and mortar on 8 April 08.

A $39 vinyl experience is scheduled and the next tier up will be a $75 purchase of 2 CDs plus one DVD featuring a multitrack allowing the fans to remix and alter the music. Finally, the last offering costs $300 – a deluxe special edition with a run of only 2,500 signed copies up for grabs.

All fine and dandy for an established band with a bit of clout I hear you say!

Here comes the science part –
*1 million consumers stopped purchasing CDs in 2007.
*45% of US teens bought NO CDs in 2007 (this is a rise of 38% from 2006.
*42% of consumers PAID for the music they downloaded. This is dropping year on year with 48% recorded in 06 and 50% in 05
*LEGAL downloads jumped 21% to 29 million from a benchmark of 24 million in 2006

*Downloading is picking up speed but there is a generational split in preference with 36 – 50 yr olds driving the LEGAL online sales.

Blinded you with stats…..but effectively what that means is you may have to re-think a releasing strategy. CDs are in decline and downloading is picking up speed, with a generational split in illegal and legal downloading, which will influence your release plan dependant on the type of music and average age of listeners.

The going is a little tough with unsigned bands having to look at giving away tracks but keep checking back….we’ve got more to share on how to make this work in your favour!

2008-03-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

8 EXCLUSIVE - THE PASSION OF E!

Italian Photographer Emanuela unleashes her creativity in ways you couldn't possibly imagine! 8pr are delighted to be working with an individual visionary who forces you to question your boundaries....

MORE to follow....

2008-03-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

8 INFO BUZZ - FANCY YOUR OWN MUSIC CHANNEL?

Sumo.tv is a content aggregator for the best of web video. Ranking higher than ITV and Channel 4 this TV channel by Loaded magazine founder James Brown allows you to have your very own "MySumo channel.

It has a user generated playlist function which could propel you into wider view.

Check it out...

sumo.tv

2008-03-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

8 EXCLUSIVE

Aha! What does Gnarls Barkley and our own Machine Boy have in common? They both failed the MTV Harding Test! Sounds like a GCHE - doesn't it? Actually the Harding FPA or flash pattern analyser ensures against flashing images provoking epilepsy. The test analyses the piece frame by frame indicating where the film is fast cut and causing 'flashing' or 'strobing' - a well- known trigger for epilepsy.

Our own experience with a failed MTV video makes us an authority on this as we failed with Action Figures several times. We were fully supported by MTV and encouraged each time to amend and re-submit. Dean Cook (Machine Boy's alter ego) slowed the cuts for Action Figures and we had it checked by those great people at Ascent Media in Soho who ran it through the test and finally passed it!

whew!

For more info on Harding FPA go here

HardingFPA Demo

And our successful Video ACTION FIGURES - MACHINE BOY

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2008-03-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

8 INFO BUZZ - AIM (Association of Independent Music) - LIVE MUSIC AND THE INDEPENDENT LABEL SEMINAR - LONDON 26th March 2008

Fancy getting yourself on the road? AIM have a seminar on maximising your gig opportunities. Exploring this theme will be Key Speaker, Feargal Sharkey and a panel discussion of professionals.

£30 for Non Members
£10 for Members
At: MCPS Boardroom
When: 26th March 2008

AIM - LIVE MUSIC

2008-03-05T06:17:00.000-08:00

8 INFOBUZZ - TO BE FREE OR NOT TO BE FREE - Last.fm

CBS owned social networking site Last.fm.com has announced a 92% increase in unique listeners over a 4 week period from launch of their free on-demand download model.

With the Qtrax model attracting negative publicity, this is the first advertisement-funded model to report success. Founder, Martin Stiksel has stated that, in terms of the music business, "free is the future". The new business model encompasses all the stakeholders; artists, labels, content owners; listeners and provides a platform for downloading free tracks linked to ad revenue. The site's strength is its recommendation engine based on initial selection, giving listeners a choice of downloading music of a similar genre.

In terms of advertising, it offers a cleverly crafted, highly targeted market segmentation fuelled by clicks.

Stats for the site reveal that it has 20 million monthly users in 240 countries. No software download required and at present this free service is only available in US, UK and Germany with plans for a roll-out globally.

Register your Music

2008-02-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

8 ENDORSE - ACTRESS/VOICE-OVER ARTIST - NATASCHA SLASTEN

8pr friend - Actress Natascha Slasten - is in celebratory mode as she prepares to head Stateside. Nats, a native German, is in popular demand as both an actress and a voice-over artist. She's an exotic mix of German and Ukranian, with her dulcet tones gracing ads for Heineken and Toyota.

After training at Mountview Academy, London and TVI Actor's Studio in Los Angeles, she has enjoyed playing a variety of roles such as Isabella in Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure' and Puck in 'Midsummer Night's Dream. Success in commercials followed with various BBC projects and with Zantac.

Her voice lends itself to voice-over, not just within the commercial arena but also within a more creative medium such as music and she is looking to explore this with the right electronica projects.

nataschaslasten.com

2008-02-14T05:56:00.000-08:00

ABOUT 8pr

The heady world of Public Relations is moving too fast for a static web presence, hence the move to a blogging site filled with fast-flowing information. We plan to share news, reviews and honest reviews with you all. Please take time to share your opinions in a two-way information sharing process. We will be able to provide you with what you need and favour most if you interact with us - no point in having a one-way conversation!

Welcome and ENJOY!

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