We keep saying, mobile is the future. Clearly, mobile is the present!!

Time and time again we stress the importance of getting your fans involved with your music. Whether you host a remix contest, make an iPhone app or generally think out of the box when promoting your music. Here is a great example of a creative way that Canadian DJ, Kid Koala, released his music with his fans. He made the CD packaging for his recent record “12 Bit Blues” into a DIY mini record player with a mini record inside the CD box. Extremely creative, innovative, and a memorable event for any casual fan. Beyond this particular record, Kid Koala has made his past concert experiences interactive as well.

More power to you Kid Koala! Share your creative ways of interacting with your fans below!!

Louis and Nick Matos are brothers that grew up together surrounded by music. It was not a shock when they started the fresh and exciting band, The Great Valley. After years of writing music together, the band digitally released their debut EP “Wrecking Ball” on April 20th and the EP debuted 188 on the iTunes top 200 Alternative Chart. Their successful online sales has them turning heads in the industry and getting a lot of attention from media moguls all over the country. Being on a roll and well immersed in the scene, The Great Valley has now made their music, videos, concert dates, news and more available via your favorite iOS device. Introducing, The Great Valley iPhone/iPad/iPod app, powered by MobBase!

All in all, there were some amazing remixes submitted for the 1st annual Outside Lands Remix Contest powered by URB.com and MixMatchMusic. Entrants from around the world competed for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to DJ at this year’s festival. After torturous deliberations among the judges, the grand prize winner is Nisus for his remix of Gogol Bordello‘s “Transcontinental Hustle“. As the winner, Nisus will get to perform in front of thousands of festival goers at Outside Lands this weekend, so be sure to check him out if you’re going! Nisus will also get $500 and a free iPhone app from MobBase. To learn more about the winner, check out his website.

We’d also like to congratulate the following winning remixes selected as finalists:

Rebirth Brass Band – SaQi (http://saqimusic.com/about/)
My Morning Jacket – Irene! (http://soundcloud.com/djloosefit)
Beats Antique – Giancarlo (http://djcarlo.net/)

Listen to all the winning remixes below, or check out all the remixes submitted here.
Outside Lands 2010 / URB.com Remix Contest Winners Selected!

BFM Digital, a leading digital music aggregator and distributor of independent music, has partnered with MobBase to provide affordable and cutting-edge iPhone applications to its clients. MobBase makes it easy for artists and labels to create, launch and manage their own, custom iPhone applications. MobBase was built by MixMatchMusic in an effort to give artists the tools they need to cultivate and engage their fanbase. MobBase is a low cost way for artists to share music, photos, videos, tweets, news, information about shows, merchandise and more with fans on their mobile devices.

“BFM continually strives to offer the latest marketing tools to our clients through a suite of services. In today’s DIY environment, access to new and affordable technologies is a vital part of any independent artist’s career, and mobile marketing through such applications are quickly becoming a must have for artists. MobBase and their easy to use, affordable way to build an iPhone app make them a perfect addition to our suite of services,” says BFM’s CEO, Steven Corn.

BFM is also launching their own discovery and promotional iPhone application through MobBase. The application will showcase featured artists and releases from BFM’s extensive catalogue, and is launching with albums from Beach Boy founder Al Jardine, all-star charity compilation album Aid Still Required, which includes tracks from Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Maroon 5, and up and coming pop starlet Julia Michaels. BFM’s official application can be downloaded for free via the iTunes store here.

About BFM Digital
BFM Digital is a global digital music company committed to serving the independent music community and delivering quality music, spoken word and video content to leading online BFM DIGITAL Page 2 August 5, 2010 retailers worldwide. Representing a diverse catalog of indie labels, artists and publishers, BFM distributes to all of the major music services including iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, eMusic, Napster, Walmart, Nokia and many more. With an unparalleled commitment to personalized service, BFM works closely with their content providers from around the world to ensure maximum exposure of their catalog by customizing marketing efforts and building strong relationships with BFM’s digital store partners.

After weeks of careful deliberation, dredg has selected the winners of the remix contest they ran with MixMatchMusic. Back in February, dredg asked fans to remix “Gathering Pebbles” and gave them two months to get busy. Out of 39 amazing submissions, dredg has picked Albino 9 as the Grand Prize winner! The remix featured a masterful layering of big beat drums cut up and mixed with synths to give the song a great industrial electronic edge.  In addition to getting a bunch of cool dredg schwag, Albino 9′s remix will be officially released by dredg on iTunes and Albino 9  will be granted a royalty percentage.

Dredg also selected two runner up winners — Al the Pal, for his “SlowMo” remix, and Syte for his drum and bass rework of the song. They will both receive a bundle package that includes a signed The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion CD, a t-shirt and a pair of tickets to a dredg show of their choice. Thank you to everyone that participated and congrats to the winners!!

Listen to the winning remixes:

Listen to all the remixes submitted:

Born in New York and educated in Virginia, Neekola currently resides in Washington DC where she works as a full time international DJ. Inspired by her parents musical talents, Neekola has been involved in music since childhood. The early years were spent in rock bands as a lead singer, keyboard player and songwriter. However, upon moving to Germany in 1997, Neekola was introduced to her soulmate, electronic dance music. She spent so much of her time dancing in the nightclubs within Europe. It was during this time she was inspired to pursue music production. After having a bit of trouble, she was advised by her mentors in the industry that she should first learn to DJ, and then her production skills would come naturally soon after. So she headed on out to NYC’s Scratch Academy, learned the basic skills, acquired her own turntable setup, and then her life changed forever…

Check out Neekola’s app and new song, “Don’t Live for the Moment.”

Don’t Live for the Moment – ORIGINAL by Neekola
Don’t Live for the Moment – ORIGINAL by Neekola

Neekola built her app using MixMatchMusic’s new DIY app building platform, MobBase, which makes it easy for musicians, music companies and music blogs to build a mobile app for as little as $0.50 a day. And because MobBase enables us to update the app’s content and design whenever we want, be sure to check the app often because we’ll be keeping things fresh. Ya dig?

We’re exited to announce the release of Evolving Music’s iPhone app! Built on MobBase, you can download our free app for your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and stay connected to Evolving Music wherever you roam. The app includes blog posts, tweets, videos, and other digital goodies for you to enjoy. It also features a selection of 10 songs that you can listen to while browsing the app. Currently, it includes some great tunes from RX Bandits, Easy Star All-Stars, Shanghai Restoration Project, Throw Me the Statue and Gavroche.

We built the app using MixMatchMusic’s new DIY app building platform, MobBase, which makes it easy for you to create your own mobile app for as little as $0.50 a day. And because MobBase enables us to update the app’s content and design whenever we want, be sure to check the app often because we’ll be keeping things fresh. Ya dig? Get the app here.

Heads up musicians, producers and fans! Dredg is inviting you to remix their song Gathering Pebbles and win some killer prizes! Here’s the invitation, straight from the horse’s mouth:

Hello all, thanks for taking the time to remix Gathering Pebbles. Feel free to do as you wish with the stems, and use only as many as you wish. We look forward to hearing some alternate versions of the song and we’ll be selecting our favorite in April. We will make the winning remix available for sale on iTunes and the winner will be granted a producer/remix royalty percentage!

Dredg (aka vocalist Gavin Hayes, guitarist Mark Engles, bassist Drew Roulette and drummer/keyboardist Dino Campanella) is a prolific indie band that has been building a worldwide following for over a decade. Through their truly captivating live performances, they have developed a devoted, cult like following (in a good way). While on stage, the band completely immerses its audience with their sound and strangely calming, yet intense, presence. For a great example of just how connected their fans are, check out this video that a dredg fan made for Gathering Pebbles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2TC9ILPjtU

Gathering Pebbles is a driving, psych-rock tune that has a lot of interesting layers to play with. The song is off of the band’s 2009 release The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion, their 4th studio album. Bassist Drew Roulette describes the album as “a rock and roll record, filled with experimental journeys and eccentric jousts,” and now it’s your turn to join the journey and take it wherever your creativity leads you.

The Gathering Pebbles remix contest, which is powered by MixMatchMusic, starts today (February 1, 2010) and runs until April 1, 2010 at 12pm PST.  All entries will be heard and winners will be carefully selected by dredg. The grand prize is big for any musician/producer looking to break out in the music industry, and the runner up prizes are pretty sweet as well:

• One grand-prize winner: The winning remix will be officially released by dredg. The remixer will get a royalty payment of 3% from the sale of the remixed version of Gathering Pebbles. The winner will also receive a bundle package that includes a signed The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion CD, a T-Shirt and a pair of tickets to a dredg show of choice.

• Two runner up winners: Each winner will receive a bundle package, that includes a signed The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion CD, a T-Shirt and a pair of tickets to a dredg show of choice.

To enter the contest, visit dredg’s website, or scroll down to the widget below. You can download the stems for free and make your remix using the software of your choice. Or, if you want to keep things even simpler, click on the MixMaker button and make your mix online. If you’ve never made a remix before and want to get a behind-the-scenes look at how dredg made the song, be sure to check out the MixMaker. Most importantly, upload your remix to dredg’s widget so that you can get credit for your masterpiece! Other people can listen to it, vote on it and share it. You can read the official contest rules here.

It’s official! Pepper is what’s hot. The newest addition to the “What’s Hot” list in the iTunes App Store is Pepper’s app, which is powered by MixMatchMusic’s MobBase. Congrats to Pepper!

Pepper’s app has been installed over 12,000 times in the last week! Fans from all over the world are now connected to Pepper through their mobile devices, including fans from Japan, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, Great Britain. Korea, Russia, Germany, China, France, Taiwan. Turkey, and Italy.

MobBase is a new service for musicians that makes it easy for them to create, launch and manage their own, custom iPhone applications. For as little as $0.50 a day, MobBase will enable musicians to share music, photos, videos, tweets, news, blog posts, information about shows, merchandise and other content with fans on their mobile devices.

To check out the 47 MobBase apps available for download in iTunes, including Pepper’s, click here! Or, visit MobBase to find out how to make mobile apps.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Slightly Stoopid is giving away 7 of their classic joints this holidaze season. Included is the Stoned Saga, a four-track journey from The Longest Barrel Ride released as a one-track epic. Get involved and don’t forget to pass this joint along!!

FYI… this FREE download for the holidaze is only available till 11:59pm on Christmas Eve (PST) so get to downloading.

On a personal note, I just downloaded and am already on joint #5. It’s melting my brain, in a good way.

DOWNLOAD JOINTS & PASS TO FRIENDS HERE: http://tra.kz/joints

Slightly Stoopid:
slightlystoopid.com
facebook.com/slightlystoopid/
twitter.com/slightlystoopid/
youtube.com/slightlystoopidtv/
flickr.com/photos/slightlystoopid/
myspace.com/stoopid/

Looking for the perfect gift for the musician in your life? Something thoughtful but not too over the top. Something useful but not ordinary. Something exciting but not short-lived.

Custom iPhone apps are quickly becoming a ‘must have’ for musicians looking to build and cultivate their fan base. Now, Holiday shoppers with a musician on their list can give the gift of a custom iPhone app for just $50, with the MobBase Holiday Gift Pack. With MobBase, musicians share music, recording session out takes, photos, videos, info about gigs, tweets, merchandise and more. And because it’s all on their iPhones, fans get the info and content they want where and when they want it. Talk about the the gift that keeps on giving!

MobBase is the fast, easy and inexpensive way for musicians to build and manage their own iPhone app. MobBase is priced so low every artist can have one. And now for the Holidays, a special package makes it even less expensive — and super easy — for shoppers to give the musicians in their lives their own custom iPhone app.

The MobBase Holiday Gift Pack includes:
* One custom iPhone app ($20 value)
* Exactly the features and functionality musicians want & need
* Infinite customization (for all practical purposes, anyway)
* Three months of basic MobBase service ($45 value)
* Unlimited love from suddenly connected fans
* A MobBase gift certificate to put under the tree

All for only $50!

See full details here

Happy Shopping!!

Calling all DJ’s, Producers and Recording Artists!!

Talenthouse is partnering with MixMatchMusic‘s online remix technology to give you the chance to remix Photek’s track and submit it to Talenthouse for a chance to be on an upcoming Photek release. For all of you Drum & Bass lovers out there, here’s your chance to help Photek finish a song! Photek, who has been producing and spinning creative drum and bass since 1992, is looking for dubstep and 4 to the floor remixes of his Drum & Bass track, “Fake ID”. He’s asking creators to produce a banging track that people would want to hear in a club. Our friends at Talenthouse say that they’re not looking for Photek clones, but for people to be original. Can you dig it?

If your remix is selected by Photek and the Talenthouse community, it will become an official Photek release and you will be credited in full as the official remixer and receive full promotion and distribution.

How to participate:
The Photek “Fake ID” remix contest can be found on the Talenthouse website as well as in a Remix Wizard that has been setup for the contest.  Stems can be downloaded from either place, but please be sure to upload your remix to both places. If you don’t have any music making software, you can use MixMatchMusic’s MixMaker to make your own remix online! For a complete list of rules and requirements, check this.

Who is Photek?
Although Photek is recognized as one of the founding pioneers of Drums and Bass, what sets him apart from the crows is his amazing ability to take the signature Photek sound to different places, outside the D&B genre.

While on Virgin Records, he managed to chart some of the most groundbreaking music into mainstream consciousness with the albums “Modus Operandi” and “Solaris”. His singles have spanned the full spectrum of electronic music, with straight up club hits like “Mine To Give” to the most legendary & abstract “Ni Ten Ichi Ryu”. It is this versatility and originality that has made Photek a favorite among artists such as Trent Reznor, Andre 3000, Bjork & David Bowie.

Originally from London, Photek is now based in Los Angeles where he finds himself evolving into an ever broader range of music through film music and artist collaborations. The UK/USA connection seems to have worked out perfectly for Photek, with the “Love & War” named Single Of The Week on BBC Radio 1 in London and his mixes of NIN’s “The Hand That Feeds” a hit on KROQ in Los Angeles.

Here’s a little taste of some of Photek’s remix, production, and score credits:
Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Bjork, Gwen Stefani, Goldie, Zero 7, Shy Fx/Elephant Man, Everything But The Girl, Roni Size “Reprazent”, Beth Orton, Attica Blues, London Electricity, Bumblebeez, Therapy, The Faint, Ringside, Jem, Rairbirds, Craig Armstrong, M. Night Shyamalan’s – Signs, Six Feet Under, The Matrix – Animatrix, The Italian Job, Stay, Invincible, American Wedding, Dreamland, Blade, City Of Industry, Raising The Bar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qJKxaWb0_A

]]> http://evolvingmusic.mixmatchmusic.com/2009/10/07/photek-remix/feed/ 0 http://evolvingmusic.mixmatchmusic.com/2009/09/24/slightly-stoopid-announces-remix-contest-winners/ http://evolvingmusic.mixmatchmusic.com/2009/09/24/slightly-stoopid-announces-remix-contest-winners/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:00:54 +0000 LG http://evolvingmusic.wordpress.com/?p=3484 After carefully reviewing the 49 remixes submitted to their Blazed and Confused at 2 Am Remix Contest, Slightly Stoopid have picked the winners! As part of the contest, Slightly Stoopid invited fans to remix their song 2AM using MixMatchMusic’s Remix Wizard, while the band was on the road for the Blazed and Confused tour. Thanks to everybody that participated, there’s so much talent out there! Some of the remixes were pretty mellow, others were upbeat, some more hip hop influenced, a lot of reggae, some cool sound bites… all in all some really great stuff.

But, there was one remix that really caught the attention of Slightly Stoopid and stood out above the competition. Congrats to icehouseindustries for winning the remix contest! His remix was chosen by Slightly Stoopid as the grand prize winner! Check it out…

Icehouseindustries will receive a HUGE prize pack that includes a set of the new Slightly Stoopid branded headphones (Skull Candy); an autographed Stoopid poster; 2 tickets to the next Slightly Stoopid concert in their area; a limited edition Slightly Stoopid branded glass pipe; CDs of Slightly Stoopid’s entire discography & Chronichitis vinyl; a copy of Slightly Stoopid Live in San Diego DVD; and the icehouseindustries remix will be posted for streaming on Slightly Stoopid’s Website, Myspace, Facebook, and their theSixtyOne.com page.

There was also a prize for the fan favorite, for the remix that received the most fan votes. Congrats to Karma for getting the most fan votes for his unique remix that brought a grooving lounge sound to 2am, complete with funky flute, saxophone and jazz guitar. His remix definitely caught a lot of attention. Karma wins a set of the new Slightly Stoopid branded headphones (Skull Candy) and a limited edition Slightly Stoopid branded glass pipe. Saaawwweeeet!!!

Make sure to check out some of the other remixes submitted. I’m a fan of NotoriAce’s remix and all of the different levels and genres used, as well as We Like it Edgy out of Galashiels, Scotland’s “2am edgy remix”. Also, I’m kinda diggin’ the use of Daydreamin’ by DJ Devan Air and Biggie Smalls in Will Becker’s mash-up. And, big ups to Gravity Terminal for his electro-dub version of 2am. Click the image below to check out all of the submissions. While you’re there, be sure to browse the Remix Wizard site to find other remix opportunities and to see how you can host your own remix contest using MixMatchMusic’s FREE remix contest platform.

Loopmasters.com, the ultimate audio sampling site based out of the UK. “Loopmasters first came to light in 1999 under the ‘Beatnik Samples’ banner, which released 4 Sample CDs known as the ‘Modular Series’, and received excellent reviews in the UK and overseas by the likes of Future Music (Platinum Awards), Sound on Sound (5 star reviews) and many other magazines, mainly for the flexibility and general quality of these titles. The titles were distributed worldwide and were used by many recording artists, multimedia designers, library music producers and dance music producers.” In 2003 Loopmasters officially launched. They’re not your typical audio sampling web site. Loopmasters searches for well known producers to contribute packages of useable samples. We interviewed the Loopmasters team about their product. Check it out…

LG: Hey Loopmasters, hows the audio sampling business these days? Any big news?

LM: Good thanks, lots of great stuff coming out over the coming weeks, we launch Global Underground Sample Series, and we have some great artist titles coming out including a Hardcore pack from Breeze and Styles, trance from Jon 00 Flemming, and some great dance titles from artists like Meat Katie, Jon Carter, Funkagenda and many others!

We also just starting working with Industrial Strength records who have some great Drum and Bass, Techno and Dubstep libraries amoung others in the pipeline, so its exciting times here at Loopmasters with some fantastic new royalty free samples coming from some of hottest producers on the planet. We just took over a new office which also has a nice music studio next door, and have expanded our team to help with social media, distributor projects and some new ideas we have cooking – so watch this space!

LG: What do you look for in the producers that you get to upload samples to your site?

LM: Overall it has to be quality and inspiration every time, as we can help with technical formatting and content selection – overall the producers must have passion and really know their style, genre, or instrument. Apart from that they must be ready to give up their best sounds and musical ideas for the project without worry – as we know that we have to make our customers happy.

LG: Are there any recognizable songs out there that have Loopmasters samples in them?

LM: There are a lot out there for sure, but we prefer to generally operate like a doctor/patient relationship and keep our customers identity a secret.

LG: Anything in the Loopmasters future that we should be aware of?

LM: There is a lot going on here at the moment, we are lucky to have a great group of producers buying and trusting us to provide them with the right sounds, genres and formats – as styles change we have a constant challenge to find the best people to come up with the goods. Outside of our core business we are looking into supporting our customer base more and providing useful information and opportunities – so we launched looptv.net to give an industry focus for music production, artists and interviews. Also we have an exciting record label related project launching which will be new for us and hopefully something we will be very proud of.

In the meantime – watch out for upcoming releases from our Artist and Label series, along with some fantastic products from our partner labels – a couple to keep an eye on are Wave Alchemy, Push Button Bang and Drumdrops.

Thanks for the interview, Loopmasters. Make sure to check out their profile on MixMatchMusic where you can download several of their samples!

John Brown’s Body

John Brown’s Body took over Federal Hill at the 8×10 Club in Baltimore. The house was packed with people of all ages. No joke, I saw a variety of teens, 20 somethings and a handful of parental units decked out in tie dye having a blast. The crowd was friendly, excited and down to bounce to rasta beats. I gotta give it up to the opening act, Passafire who incidentally have a couple of local VA/MD boys in the band. I downright dug their style. It was more of an upbeat, rock/punk/particularly reggae mix. Each song was pretty different so I can’t really put them in one complete category. The keyboardist especially had a ton of energy, as did the whole band. They were a great set up for John Brown’s Body who completely blew me away as well. I was pleasantly surprised by how full their sound was. The band includes a trumpet, sax and trombone player which would bring great vibe to any venue. The lead singer has a captivating voice that puts you into a trance. Also, I’ve never seen a dude half bald, with dreads, kill a mic. I highly suggest checking out this tour if it comes to your city and you like reggae in the least bit. Find future dates HERE. They’ll even be in the UK!!

John Brown's Body in Federal Hill, Baltimore

Passafire, killin' it!

Slightly Stoopid

I’ll go ahead and say it, I’m stoopid for these guys. (Sorry, I had to go there.) I’ve been streaming them a lot lately and honestly, I’m digging the 2am remixes. But, uh, back to the lecture at hand, the Blazed and Confused tour, a whole different scene from the previous concert attended. First of all, the concert was at a beautiful outdoor venue tucked away in the trees of Colombia, MD called Merriweather Post Pavilion. LOVED attending a concert there. They had a great variety of drinks, food and entertainment on top of the actual concert. There’s a club on site for 21+ to get away and grab a drink as well as a music themed pinball arcade, waaaay cool. Second, I’d say the average age was a bit lower than what I’m used to. Slightly Stoopid/Snoop/Stephen Marley, keepin’ it real with the young’ins! As usual, Marley started it off with a crucial reggae style set to open the show. Then… Snoop D-O Double Gizzle hit the mic. He did a bunch of old school stuff which was exactly what the crowd (and myself) was hoping for. Also, Lady of Rage got on the mic and did an Afro Puff segment. Totally took me back to the good ol’ 90′s. Definitely a highlight of Snoop’s set as well as his official smoke break.

Blazed Individual

Snoop D-O Double G

Slightly Stoopid came on stage with quite the set up. They had 2 large skulls on either side of the stage, lit up totem polls, a hazy Polynesian night themed backdrop, and an array of lighting that gave off a pretty stellar stony ambiance. The crowd was diggin’ their vibe and they often kicked it up a notch with some punk. These San Diegans definitely know how to please a stony crowd. Also, it’s pretty cool that they are headlining the tour.

Stoopid Set Up

Slightly Stoopid Set Up

Slightly Stoopid, kickin' it up a knotch

Enjoy the rest of the ’09 summer concerts! Please, you’re welcome to post your comments especially if you’ve checked out either or all of these artists!

MixMatchMusic, in connection with Modern Beat Digital Records, Symphonic Distribution and Prime Loops, is proud to bring you the “Digital Dreams” remix competition. Remix this synth-house gem by June 30 and you’re in the running for a sound suite from Prime Loops and to have your remix released on Modern Beat Digital’s forthcoming release of the Modern Beat Orchestra’s Digital Dreams.

“We thought Digital Dreams by the Modern Beat Orchestra would be a fantastic track to feature for a remix competition,” said David Edward Jensen, president of Modern Beat Digital. “Between the spoken lyrics, female chant vocals and big basslines, the elements are there to make for some great remixes. We can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with.”

Modern Beat Digital is an independent record label based out of Asheville, North Carolina that focuses on providing top-quality dance music to the public by utilizing digital media downloads and a selection of file formats. Their mission is to release only the best in electronic dance music. They do this by combining excellent producers and artists with a dedicated marketing, promotion and distribution team. Modern Beat Digital is a subsidiary of Modern Beat Productions and recently partnered with Symphonic Distribution to offer digital distribution of their catalogue in all major online music retailers.

To participate in the remix compeition, check out the Digital Dreams Remix Wizard and start creating! You can either purchase the high quality stems for $12 or make your mix for free using the online MixMaker. Either way, be sure to publish your remix to the widget for others to enjoy. Now, get busy.

For Fans

For Artists

It’s my favorite way to stream music. In my opinion, way better than Pandora. Groovesharkers can browse through their library of music, add music they find to their streaming “queue” or “auto play” letting Grooveshark pick their upcoming music based on their choices. The best part is that streamers can “favorite” the music they like and come back to it another time or add it to a play-list. Another great feature is the ability to share music links through various social networks like twitter. Way cool. Beyond streaming, Grooveshark hosts an artist section that focuses on “do it yourself” (DIY) and emerging bands getting their music played. Here’s how…

They Create and Convert Fanbases

Grooveshark employs a very simple song placement technology to ensure that you’re heard by those who already dig your style of sound. Promoted tracks– whether country, jazz or rock– will only be played after the artists within the genres you select.

Ads as Calls to Action

Almost every musician throughout the world performs at concerts, sells merchandise, and needs potential fans to actually listen to their music. With Grooveshark, not only are standalone ad campaigns sold at a discount to artists, but they’re provided free of charge alongside any ‘Get New Fans’ campaigns.

Goodies Galore

Embed your tunes with a widget on every website you love. Get short URL links directly to your songs. Watch your buzz grow with the easiest (and newest) way to keep your digital life grooving. Tinysong, Twisten.FM, Widgets, and Facebook ShareSong allow you to do all sorts of cool things–at no cost. They’ll take care of everything.

Give it a whirl, test it out, let Grooveshark know what you think!! In the mean time, I’d like to share one of my play-lists with you.

Are you a musician? Are you creating music that your friends and fans love? You want to distribute your jams but are completely confused in this weird music distribution world? We empathize… It’s hard to know where to go and what to do! You want to make sure that you will successfully and effectively distribute yourself all over the place, right? MixMatchMusic has been around the block a few times and has some good ideas of where you should go. While we were at this year’s Winter Music Conference, we made friends with a multifaceted service called Symphonic Distribution. Symphonic Distribution is a digital content distributor and services provider aimed at providing the best in content delivery, customer service, marketing, education, and more for music industry artists, managers, and record labels across the globe. They have a proven track record and currently provide services to hundreds of clients based in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Australia, Sweeden, Bosnia & Herzegovina, India, Japan, USA, Canada, Portugal, and countless other countries and cultures around the globe. In addition to their services, Symphonic Distribution also has several distinct brands for the intention of expanding the reach of a client.

SymDirect – www.symdirect.com
SymDirect is a upload fee based distribution service allowing artists and labels to keep 100% of their royalties. This service is different then the normal distribution model and in addition, undercuts MANY imitators. Consider this to be… the official post office of digital distribution. You pick the package (or shipping price), we deliver, and you get ALL of your royalties! No other charges or hidden fees!

SymIntranet – www.symintranet.com
SymIntranet is Symphonic Distribution and SymDirect’s portal for it’s signed labels and artists. The extensive portal includes marketing materials from stores, educational tutorials relating to music business, music production, and music marketing, and links to helpful initiatives aimed at helping labels grow! The website will continue to be updated to contain more educational materials, marketing plans, and more!

Check them out and please, don’t hesitate to shoot them an email if you’re interested in distributing your music and creating a name for yourself as an artist. support@symphonicdistribution.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGF9MCNJ2OE

First of all, I arrived at the Miami Beach Resort and Spa after a long day of travel to be greeted by tons of Red Bull, DJs, complimentary Alize, digital music & DJ influenced displays and friendly conference workers dancing and registering everyone into the event. As soon as I walked in I knew this was going to be a long yet very fun week. I received my WMC complimentary bag that was full of fliers promoting events, DJ and music magazines, a copy of The List and condoms. Gives you a great idea of how things go down during WMC week which I so brilliantly named after seeing the condoms, “F+ck Fest ’09″. The resort is on the beach and has a very large pool area so I went to check it out. There was a stage set up, several chicks in bikinis and hooker heels, a DJ on stage getting everyone pumped up, a bar, deck and beach. Beautiful. I got a drink and instantly started schmoozing.

The 2nd day was the Digital Distribution panel where yours truly was representing the one and only, MixMatchMusic. I was SUPER nervous. All the heavy hitters were sitting on the panel as well. Juno, IODA, Beatport, Groove Media, Jamvana, Symphonic, Broken Records, Mubito and us! The panel was a huge success and packed to the brim, standing room only. All the panels were interesting, informative and well worth the time.

There were 2 hot spots this past week. One was Remix Hotel hosted by Beatport. The Remix Hotel events were held at The National. It’s literally in the heart of all of the most popular hotels and party spots in town. The pool was inundated with people partying in their swim suits and DJs spinning from overlooking balconies. Just beyond the pool was a large stage hosting DJs all weekend amongst palm trees and bars. Just beyond there was immediate beach access. It was a week long mega party.

What I believe to be the second biggest spot was the Fontainebleau. Even though it is a bit off the beaten path… the place was SWAMPED every day with partygoers. Some nights the door was as high as $80 a head! All day Thursday they had a crazy pool party hosted by Bacardi. It was open bar and DJ Jazzy Jeff was on the 1′s and 2′s. Unreal. Pic below.

Then… there was Ultra Fest. Oy! Add teenagers with glow sticks here. The line up was insane and the actual festival itself… ran beautifully. Considering how many people were there, I never felt like I had to fight for a bathroom, food, space or my life (which all contributed to an unfortunately horrific experience that I had at Outsidelands Festival last summer). The only thing is that it was too loud! I’m not a grumpy old person who doesn’t like music and is making a blanket statemement here. Honestly, the loudest event I’ve ever been to. My friends texted me before I arrived and pleaded me to buy ear plugs. In the cab on the way to the festival we could feel the bass from a mile away. LOUD!

As stated before, I’m not a techno/electro queen. Glow sticks just aren’t my thing anymore and there was a lot of that going on. Honestly, there were moments I had to slap myself and remember that it wasn’t 1999. I was genuinely looking forward to the Ting Tings, Black Eyed Peas, Perry Ferrel and Bloc Party sets (who didn’t show!!!). Surprisingly enough, I did learn about a drum and bass group that I can definitely get down with. Pendulum was incredible. I had heard of them before but never really understood the magnitude of their awesomeness. They’re metal meets drum and bass. Way cool. A metal band with a DJ. Talk about MixMatching!! Their concert was amazing, full of energy and it was nice seeing instruments on stage!! It’s hard to go stage to stage, watch a new DJ and really get into it. I’m so happy to have seen Pendulum… I now have a new band to follow. Also, props to David Guetta. His set was pretty impressive as well.

Overall, to put it into 2 words… I’m exhausted! It’s a full week of keeping up on where the best parties are, moving your tush event to event, meeting and schmoozing with industry peep, being on your best behavior when necessary and using as much as the day and night as possible. Dearest WMC… there is only so much going to bed at 6am with techno in my head and waking up at 11am to a techno party at your hotel that one person can handle. I think I’m going to take a nap now… for a week! Can’t wait till next year.

You’ve uploaded your stems, been collaborating with others, publishing your music on MixMatchMusic… things are going well! So what else can you do to get noticed? Have you ever attended an open mic? What? You don’t know where to go? No worries.

Openmic.us, like MixMatch, is dedicated to helping indie musicians find places to play and be heard. Also, there are all sorts of tips for musicians on the site. How to rock an open mic, tips on recording, editing & mixing and more. The OpenMic.us site is comprised of 43 local city web sites. Go to the site, scroll down and check out the open mics available in your city. Who knows… the right person could be grabbing a drink while listening to you jam.

The OpenMic.us Network is operated by Open Mic Entertainment, the premier operator of live-music open mic events in the U.S.

“Citing a severe shortage of reliable open mic information in the Web, we decided to verify the accuracy of every open mic that we could find”, stated OpenMic.us founder, David Craver. He continued, “Since we have over 13 years of experience in running live music open mics, we felt that we really understood the needs of the open mic musicians in our country”.

“We like to support anything that helps musicians”, stated Electro-Voice PR Chief, Guy Low. He also said, “The OpenMic.us Network is a valuable resource for musician hobbyists and professional musicians alike.”

Young and full of passion, Alessandra Conti is an 18 year old singer, composer, guitarist, and writer who is fresh to the D.C. Music Scene. A city girl who grew up in a small town, Alessandra and was lucky enough to escape frequently to perform and experience life in New York City. She has performed on MTV’s TRL: “I Wanna Be a Rock Star” segment and was a “Viewer Host” (Celebrity Interviewer) for a brand new show on MTV. Seen on VH1, The Oxygen Network, and of course MTV, Alessandra is on her way to establish herself as a personality and musician in the industry. She recently recorded with Ben Folds, and will be featured on his upcoming album with her acapella group, “Treble in Paradise”. She will be opening for Ben Folds at his upcoming concert in Baltimore. Alessandra has also been featured in Seventeen Magazine and has walked the runway for Teen People Magazine’s Model Search. A very strong beginning to a very promising career.

Now a Freshman at American University in Washington, D.C. Alessandra is studying Communications: Broadcast Journalism and Marketing. Young, vivacious, talented and excited to hit the scene, Alessandra is just beginning her career in the indie-town DC making her official live debut this weekend!

Alessandra’s newest single “Empty Words”: http://tra.kz/ew
Alessandra’s music on MixMatchMusic: http://tra.kz/almmm

“Sasha Don’t Sleep” is a track off of The Dance Party’s new tour EP titled “Tiger” coming out this Spring. They’re one of DC’s mega cool indie bands and also becoming a staple in the New York rock scene. Their gigs may be spreading across America but when The Dance Party puts on a show on at home, DC doesn’t sleep. A Dance Party show is a fun & exciting night of outta control rock and roll. You heard me. Check ‘em out but be prepared for the addiction.

The Dance Party is a high-energy rock group from Washington, DC. With a sound that combines Dance-Punk, 80′s New Wave, and Powerpop, The Dance Party created a buzz throughout DC and the Mid-Atlantic with their frenetic live performance and hook-laden debut album, “Friction! Friction! Friction!”

The Dance Party recently recorded 10 tracks with Andros Rodriguez at the helm (Justin Timberlake, Cobra Starship, !!!). With a host of shows booked and new songs yet to be released, the band is positioned for rock & roll domination.

The new material demonstrates the band’s strengths – undeniably catchy pop songs executed with an over-the-top delivery, guaranteed to cause the uncontrollable desire to throw caution to the wind and get radical on the dance floor.” – blurb taken from The Dance Party MySpace Music Page.

Two assholes with microphones or… Bill and Andrew. However you address them they’re a rather new underground podcast based out of DC and they’re funny as hell. They met about 4 years ago, hit it off and have been bickering at each other ever since. Bill and Andrew are in their second season of their podcast. In show 2.4 they unleashed a theme song contest hosted by MixMatchMusic’s Remix Wizard. The big prize?? Bragging rights and a nifty and very rare Bill and Andrew Show t-shirt. Observe…

Thanks to OnTapOnline for the picture!

Think you have what it takes to create a catchy theme song for the show? There are one of 2 ways you can participate.

1) If you have audio editing tools we suggest downloading the stems from the widget, mixing your own song and uploading it to Bill and Andrew’s “Theme Show Contest” widget. Take a listen to the songs already submitted to the “Theme Show Contest” on the front page of Bill and Andrew’s web site as well as on the front page of MixMatchMusic.com and the Remix Wizard gallery.

2) Go to Bill and Andrew’s profile on MixMatchMusic.com. Check out their uploaded content. Add it to the MixMaker. Collaborate with other artists to make a theme song. Download it and upload the song to the contest widget. This is what I did. Check it out HERE.

Good luck… happy mixing!!

Join B&A on Facebook.

To listen to episode 2.4 when the contest was introduced.

To listen to my favorite episode with Paul “The Man on the Street.”

It’s been a couple weeks but… it took that long to recoup. On 8/9/08 and 8/10/08 Virgin Mobile and the concert wizards of I.M.P. put on a mammoth music festival called the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore, MD at Pimlico Race Track (home of The Preakness). MixMatchMusic was on site in full force to participate and add to the festivities. The lineup had a wide range of talent from different genres and generations of music. While traveling stage to stage, “v-festers” could run into a number of odd characters. Everything from circus freaks to wandering people dressed as trees and gnomes roamed the festival grounds ensuring an experience hard to forget.

photo by Kenneth Gary

photo by Kenneth Gary

photo by Kenneth Gary

photo by Kenneth Gary

photo by Kenneth Gary

Check out the line-up: HERE

LG‘s Recap: Saturday started off with some hefty chick rock. Cat Power, KT Tunstall and Duffy came in wailing their pipes and warming up the crowd. I heard really good things about Gogol Bordello. Very mad I missed that one. Apparently they put on an amazing live show. I was running around most of the day but caught Bloc Party. AWESOME! They sound great live and the singer was wearing a sweet t-shirt with King Koopa on it.

I made my way over through the crowd of mellow college kids, hippie chicks, and hippies in training to catch a great show by Citizen Cope. Just as I was in earshot, I caught the tail end of “Bullet and a Target” coming from the stage, and I knew the show was going to be one of the better ones I had seen. Cope, who hails from Philly, just a hop skip and a jump away from Baltimore, put on a great set, giving the crowd exactly what they were looking for… a charming stage presence and his greatest hits (predominantly from The Clarence Greenwood Recordings and his self-titled album). Some of my favorites included “All Dressed Up”, “Contact”, and “107 degrees”, but really it all was great. The crowd wailed as soon as girlfriend Alice Smith (back up singer) took center stage to sing one of her own tunes. The couple made a great duo on stage, and Cope left the stage with the crowd wanting more of their favorites which just never seem to run out.

photo by Kenneth Gary

I must admit, although a tough decision being that there were so many ridiculous bands on site, Stone Temple Pilots definitely won my vote as best band performance at Virgin Fest. We all made the Scott Weiland jokes before hand that he would probably pass out on stage on top of drummer Eric Kretz thus solidifying this as his last performance for certain. But in secret, we all really wished that it would be an amazing show…and our wish came true.

Weiland played to the audience’s every whim, feeding off the feigning crowd, giving us exactly what we were anxiously awaiting. Just as the opening chords of “Vaseline” struck, we all knew what the rest of the show was going to be, and for the next 45 minutes, nothing else mattered except for STP’s reunion.

All of the hits were played, predominantly from Core, including “Wicked Garden”, “Plush”, and “Sex Type Thing.” The crowd’s lips moved with every lyric, and we all rejoiced in what was one of the greatest flashbacks we all have had in a long time. Weiland’s bullhorn was in full effect, there was a wardrobe change that included white boots and many neck ties. Also, the old school ’90s STP logo that looks like it belongs on a gas station jacket was plastered on Eric’s bass drum. My rock fist pumped the air more than ever. They looked and sounded perfect… just like it was the ’90s again.

photo by Kenneth Gary

And just when we were feeling like we couldn’t get any more ’90s nostalgia in our veins (no pun intended on Scott) Nine Inch Nails slapped us across the face with their industrial electro rock opening of 999,999 and 1,000,000 and followed up strong with Letting You and Discipline.

Trent Reznor, one of the most reknowned ’90s frontmen, hit the stage running, and didn’t give it up for a second during the set. The 43 year old proved he was nothing less than a ’90s rock legend and fed the crowd hit singles mixed with computer-generated jam out sessions.

The background effects were mesmerizing to say the least, and helped create an intensity in the crowd that was unmatched by any other performer. Fists pumped the air like it was 1999, and mosh pits formed left and right. The performance ended the festival just as it should have…with heart throbbing music and big flashing lights.

The worst act all weekend was Lil’ Wayne. Basically, he sucked. First of all, he was 45 minutes late on stage. Second, he sucked. Third, he has no talent what-so-ever. Fourth, he sucked. Some bands that stuck out, didn’t suck and deserve recognition: Lupe Fiasco, Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club, The Go! Team, Soulwax, The Black Keys and of course… the slightly scary yet highly entertaining… Iggy and the Stooges. I conclude my recap with this tragically ridiculous photo. Iggy, rock on.

photo by Kenneth Gary

Gavroche‘s Recap: What a weekend this was! Between manning the MixMatchMusic tent and meeting the wonderful people of Bal’more, I managed to slip away to catch some of the music at Vfest. For me, there were several bands that clearly separated themselves from the clutter.

Nine Inch Nails killed. Frankly, I’m still thinking about it…it was that intense. Trent Reznors’ voice was prestine yet edgy, as he perfectly hit every note in his emo-soul-industrial sorta way. The instrumental parts were precise and experimentally layered (in the good way). Their performance was full of energy, regardless of whether the song was mellow or driving. And the visual production was better than anything I’ve ever seen – various layers of trippy screens and lights that matched the beat of the songs.

Next on my list is Soulwax. I was expecting to see a DJ set, as I know these guys primarily for their works as 2 Many DJs. But, out comes a full band in white tuxedos, with drums, bass, vocals, and plenty of fun little synths and effects. Their style is a dirtier, more industrial, daft punk. They had the entire DJ tent moving to their beats in this mid-afternoon dance party, including a bunch of 16 year olds jumping up and down (this made me feel real old). Later on that evening, Underworld took over the dance tent with their fast, hard, and ambient grooves. I had waited years to see them, and 4 computers, a singer, and trippy lights = me dancing.

Gogol Bordello was just as much of a party, in their own gypsy punk kinda way. Their violinist and accordian player brought a very eclectic sound, and the singer/guitar player is a total rock star. Wilco definitely did not disappoint, although I wish they’d played more from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Their chops were on and I felt like I was watching new classic rock.

LJ‘s Recap: This was my first time doing any crowd promotion and my first time behind the scenes at a concert. It was a trip to show up on Friday the 8th and see the entire race track being set up, and having free rein to wander where I pleased. We had planned our tech setup very well, so it went very quickly the next morning, and we were free to promote, and of course, see shows. LG and Gavroche covered plenty, so here’s my quick recap of what they missed: the Offspring was amazing – they played very little of their new stuff (always a good strategy IMO for bands with classic hits) and rocked the stage with their original stuff. Dexter’s voice still sounds awesome.

On Sunday, the day started with the “Book the Band” winner, Hollywood Undead. Usually “local” bands at concerts are underwhelming since they have little experience playing to large crowds and dealing with professional sound systems (in other words, they turn up all their instruments too loud so you can’t hear the singer). However, I was quite impressed – very ska-ish.

Next I went up close to see Paramore. Hayley Williams is really hot, and chick rock or no, I’m a huge fan of their music. The show was great, a lot of energy. They assumed people knew their lyrics a bit too much, but once they got past that, it went very well.

Taking Back Sunday, who is great on the radio, made that rookie sound system mistake I mentioned; their songs were harsh and you couldn’t understand the words – a shame. I did get a chance to meet the backup vocalist, Matt Fazzi, and handed him a business card – we’ll see if he wants to engage his fans in new ways over the internet .

One of the best non-music-related ideas I saw was the TRASHed recycling store. You brought them empty cans or bottles, and they gave you points towards schwag. Next year, they should have a trash store, where for every pound of trash you bring you get points too. There were kids running around cleaning up the concert all weekend.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend full of awesome shows and AMAZING weather.

Sandra‘s recap: As anyone who has been to a big, hot, dusty music festival before knows, there are a lot of factors other than the line-up that contribute to a successful event. One of my particular favorites at Virgin was the Oxygen Bar!

Other places to recharge included the many Kyocera tents which had such cool amenities as free massage, recharging of cell phones powered by stationary bikes, and one rain forest-like tent full of plants, mist, and showers. This was a very well put together event to say the least. There was even a half pipe.

Musically speaking, if I had to choose, the general vibe and ambiance of the DJ tent was my favorite. I think DJ Tony Z of NetMix captured the enthusiasm of the crowd and the electricity and magic in the air in there well in his photos below:

photo by Tony Zeoli

photo by Tony Zeoli

Large scale music festivals like this one reinforce how universal of a language music really is. The stunning diversity one comes across just walking from one stage to another proves that regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, income, culture, or style people can find common ground when it comes to sharing a love of music. And the planning, technology, and collaboration that go into (successfully) producing this kind of event are not to be sneezed at.

MixMatchMusic was thrilled to not only be able to attend Virgin, but also be a part of it.

Can you ride your bike with no handlebars? Most likely, the image has crossed your mind lately if you listen to the radio. Radio stations all over the nation are getting flooded with requests for the single “Handlebars” by the Flobots. I gotta say… the song is catchy, it grows on you. Although, the Flobots are SO much more than the song “Handlebars.” Last night I attended the Flobots, People Under the Stairs and Busdriver concert at the infamous 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. Last week I had the pleasure of chatting on the phone with Flobot #5 who is one of the lead MC’s of the group. After the interview and seeing these guys on stage I realized they’re out for so much more than having a hit single, selling albums and moving t-shirts. These guys (& girl) are out trying to engage with young minds and encourage people to go out and make a change. The Flobots are extremely passionate about their message. I usually hate musicians who go on stage and “preach” but this was entertaining and motivating. They got the crowd involved with their music & their message. Absolutely one of the most exciting live concerts I’ve ever seen. Also, their encore was too cool. The viola player came out and sang “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar. She was fantastic… rocking out all over the stage. It was like the cute, geeky, orchestra dork busted out of her shell and became a hot female rock star in flip flops. At the end of the song the MC’s came out and freestyled while the band played the “Heartbreaker” melody in a super amped up rock style in the background. It made for a great ending to a great show. The Flobots are 2 MC’s, a viola player, drummer, bassist and guitarist. They have a ton of energy and I feel like we’ll be hearing a lot more of them in the future. Honestly, it’s refreshing knowing that there are still musicians out there who don’t focus on the glitz and glamor of being a rock star. The interview with Jamie (Flobot 5) proves true…

Flobot #5 Phone Interview: 7.30.08

LG: MixMatchMusic really digs the Flobots’ mixed style of genres. How did your sound piece together? Was it an idea that you searched after to create?
F5: “I think it came together out of a general openness on the part of everybody in the band to stretch themselves a little bit genre wise. The other MC and I were performing with Mackenzie the viola player… so at first it was just the 3 of us with some DJs. Then Andy suggested hey, why don’t you combined this into a live band? I think if you had a cool band behind you it would work. So we tried it for one show and the audience responded and we enjoyed it and then it became what you see today.”

LG: What was the Flobots’ first live performance like and where was it?
F5: “it was a Rock the Vote sponsored show in Denver. We were also involved in this effort called voter cruise. We had founded this effort to do youth voter engagement through music. So we had been getting good responses, the 3 of us with DJs. Having the live band behind us… with people moving around a lot more… it just felt more full. I think just for our particular combination of people it worked the best.”

LG: What online platform helped the Flobots promote themselves the most?
F5: “We have our own site… FightWithTools.org specifically for our street team. Basically what we did… a lot of people find our music powerful and leave our show all charged up with no where to go. So we created a non-profit organization that has its own infrastructure set up to provide a place for fans to go. It’s FightWithTools.org. It’s a way for music fans of all sorts can connect with each other and start making a change in the community, beginning with voter registration and moving on to other things next year. We’re really excited. We hope it can be a model for how music can be harnessed for social change.”

LG: Is there a certain sound or instrument that the Flobots would like to add to their band in the future?
F5: “You know… a 6 person band is a lot of people and a lot of dynamics. I don’t think we’re looking to add anything. I think we’re excited to write new songs ourselves, stretch our instruments… stretch our sound in new directions. There’s a whole lot more that we can do and we’re really excited to do it.”

LG: What overall message would the Flobots like to give out through their music?
F5: “I think it’s several things. One, that music is powerful. I don’t know if people are recognizing how powerful music is. If you look at any social movement in the United States, music has been a big part of it. Look at the Civil Rights movement. People were singing songs as they were being threatened with beatings and threatened with arrests. As they were in jail they kept themselves energized by singing. They were able to stand up to folks and claim the moral high ground by singing. There’s a lot of history there… the music being powerful. We wanna try and reclaim that and do it in a way that’s relevant for 2008.”

LG: How do you feel about what’s happening in the music industry (ie big labels crumbling, CD sales dropping, everything happening online, indie artists promoting themselves online, etc)?
F5: “I’m actually pretty outside the loop with the music business. I’m not honestly affected by it or a part of it. Personally…. for me, the most important thing as an artist, is for people to hear something I’ve created. That’s the most gratifying thing. Obviously it is good to make a living off of it as well. My feeling has always been when you’re really small you want people to hear your music. So I don’t care if people burn the CD while I’m small cause I want them to hear it. When you get big enough… you get to the point where you’d kinda be an asshole if you got too upset about it because you’re doing what you love. You’re living off of it. In the middle… there’s an artist that really makes a lot, there’s a sense of support any way you can. Truth is … people make their money off of live shows. I think the way that it is changing… it’s inevitable. People that understand that and adapt to it will be the ones that come out on top. We don’t focus all of our energy on loss of CD sales. We focus our energy on our live show and word of mouth. We get people excited enough that they want to support us however we can. I think that’s the way to succeed.”

To conclude, I was pleasantly surprised by The Flobots in concert. They’re touring the country right now. I strongly suggest you go see their show if they’re coming to your town. The shows have been selling out everywhere so get your tix quick! Check out their tour schedule.

See More Pictures

Check Out “Fight With Tools” (my personal favorites are “Rise” and “Stand Up”)

Get Involved

You see, I saw The Black Keys probably a year and a half ago. Same club, same night of the week. Probably a quarter of the fans that showed up last night were there. The stage was literally set up with nothing but a drum set and mic stand with bright white lights beaming on them. Last night was a whole different story. They had crazy 70′s style rock n’ roll lights, a huge blow up “Good Year” looking tire that said, “The Black Keys – Akron, OH” and their drum set was crazy electric sparkle blue. Basically, since they’ve signed with Warner Brothers their live performance has stepped up a notch. Usually, I get upset at this but it did them well. They’re truly musicians, not much of a stage presence if you’re a band wagon fan. Seriously, the singer’s guitar skills alone had me captivated. For those who just wanted to get drunk, bob their heads and twitter to their friends… the dog and pony show was necessary. The lights and background definitely added a new ambiance that wasn’t there before.

By the way, there was this shirt at the merch stand…. it was fantastic. Nothing but a black t-shirt with iron-on, white, crushed velvet, block letters that said, “The Black Keys Akron Ohio.” OH, here it is. My birthday is June 23rd.

Stay tuned… MixMatch may be working with this raw rock n’ roll duo soon! More to come on that.

Thanks, to everyone that read my very first post!