Apr/100
John5
John5 might be the most versatile guitarist in hard rock today. That's a big and far-reaching statement, to say the least! But if you look at who he's worked with and listened to his music the guy is a chameleon! He made his bones with Marilyn Manson - and lot's of people think that's what he's all about - goth/shock/metal (or whatever the hell you want to call it). But wait, there's more! John has played and/or written with the likes of David Lee Roth, Paul Stanley, Leah Andreone, Rob Zombie and Lynyrd Skynrd. His diverse set of influences sets the template for his guitar prowess - he can shred with the best of them or layback and do some tasty bluegrass fingerpicking.
There's lots of highlights on his new album THE ART OF MALICE (available everywhere May 11). "Ya Dig" is inspired by John's collaborating with David Lee Roth (and features Billy Sheehan on bass) and sounds like it could be on a Van Halen record or the DLR album he did with Dave. The title cut is an array of amazing chops, from classical to country-fried picking. "J.W." is a country-tinged little romp that could be on a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. "Fractured Mirror" is an homage to John's hero Ace Frehley.
There's a lot to love on this album! From start to finish its a guitar lover's paradise. I love the likes of a Satriani or Vai, but many times their albums lack variety and sheer depth. THE ART OF MALICE has that in abundance and John's guitar prowess is the equal to anyone's.
Author: Steve
A weapon of self-distraction, motivated by fear and revenge, fueled by passion, anxiety and caffeine, I am the VP of Sales for Rocket Science.Apr/100
Tonight in LA! Bruce Kulick hosts Celebrity Karaoke & US Troop Care Package Party
Bruce Kulick will be hosting the Celebrity Karaoke & US Troop Care Package Party tonight at Locals Sports Bar & Grill at 5047 W. Pico Blvd.; Los Angeles 90019. Red Carpet begins at 8pm, see you there!
Author: BenWatson
Born in Philadelphia but an LA native at heart, Benjamin is a marketing coordinator at Rocket Science. Ben also serves as fearless leader of the Rocket Science Ground Crew.Mar/100
New App: LoKast!
So, its been awhile, and I was going to make my triumphant return to blogger-dom by writing about the inescapable topic of Four-Square – but I’ll save my rant about why I think it’s pretty awesome (well, except for the abusers….I don’t care to know where your daily errands take you!) – and skip to my new favorite App: LoKast! LoKast just launched at SXSW, and is already getting some major attention. You can see an over-view about the app here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37riObbjDXs, but let me break down my 2 favorite features for you:
- The app is proximity based – meaning you connect with people who are near you (within 300 feet). You can then share Photos, Videos, Music, and Contacts with all your new friends. Once you get content from a user, you can then share it with others.
- To encourage engagement when you’re all by your lonesome, branded portals are available to all users (at any time). These include portals for artists and musicians….and often offer exclusive content. For example, if Infected Mushroom set up a branded portal and offered users some new sweet remixes…I could use the app to have a dance party whenever I wanted!
- No need to worry about piracy, the content is locked in the app.
Ok, so what does this all mean? Well first, the cool-factor of this is going to grow as more people use the app (it’s currently free, GO GET IT: http://tinyurl.com/LoKast !!) – it needs to catch on in order to meet it’s full potential.
More importantly, I see it as a great opportunity to reward fans with exclusive content such as “backstage” movies and pictures, exclusive songs, etc! Also, how fantastic does it sound to be at a concert…and suddenly get a free new track from the band – available only to those in the room? Or how about the idea of getting access to just-taken backstage photos while waiting for set change? It all sounds pretty sweet to me.
LoKast has a lot of potential to be REALLY cool, I can’t wait to see how far it goes…
Author: RoseCampbell
Feb/100
Thoughts On Social Media Marketing
There has been a lot of discussion recently on the merits and needs for social media marketing. In fact, industry organization A2IM just published a white paper on this very topic. Much of the discussion revolves around the need to build trust with your fans, as well as the need to create quality content.
What I think goes unsaid, but might benefit from being mentioned explicitly, is the need to entertain. This is fairly easy to do with a well known established brand whose fans react wildly to any bit of information or any mention of the band itself. Where it is more difficult is with burgeoning artists. This of course, all begins with the song. Well written songs pull out emotional responses and provide some sort of time, place, and character. Yes, even Ke$ha, whose character is the irreverent party girl. And she has become successful by exploiting it to the max. While I don't believe all bands need to be that archetypal or explicit, building a character or fleshing out the protagonist of a (soon-to-be) hit song or record, or of the artist themselves is something that I think is too often overlooked. This can also be used to effectively rebuild the mystique surrounding rock stardom that adds so much value to the art itself, and has been torn down by the very same social networks by granting constant access to seemingly every facet of an artists life.
The "character" building use of social networks has been used particularly effectively by Jason Mraz. Through his tweets and journals which support the general spirit of his music, fans have come to know a soul who they idolize, who lives his life in a positive, healthy, social way, and shares his principle of a raw diet, yoga practice, and positive thinking. The way he utilizes his social networks both sets him apart and engages his fans and encourages them to emulate his choices because it may just make them happy too.
Slipknot is a band that has understood the importance of character; Hollywood Undead is another good example.
That story is both an important and effective part of marketing, as well as a strategic way to utilize social networks to their fullest.
Get a glimpse of what we're doing right now by following Will O'The Wisp, the guide through Shooter Jennings' new opus Black Ribbons at any of the following:
www.twitter.com/lastlightradio
www.blip.fm/lastlightradio
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/30146.Banned_Books_Club
www.myspace.com/shooterjennings
Author: AliciaYaffe
I spend my days between my desk and the moon. I'll always be a Virginian at heart (go Hoos), but I'm an official Californian now! I might become a professional skydiver or a spy when I retire from the music game, but i'll never tell! Here at RS? I'm the VP of Bits and Bytes.Feb/100
New BRUCE KULICK album BK3
The long-running jokes about KISS include how many times KISS has: a.) reformed and b.) how many guitar players they have had.
In truth, they did quickly have two guitar players when original guitarist Ace Frehley left around 1982. But after that stage left didn't have the revolving door most casual fans think it had as that spot was held for 12 (!) years by BRUCE KULICK.
Bruce played on a lot of hits (and a few misses) and sold out tours during his time with KISS, and arguably KISS had a real creative resurgence with him in the band. In KISS, Bruce was like the 6th man in a basketball game - always there when needed, can deliver at will and give you whatever you want. He was the KISS "MVP" and by his tenure the band had essentially become the Gene & Paul show - but Bruce's ability made him one of the rare guys KISS had that could write with both members, and was able to take their musical visions and get them down on record and fast. Sports analogies aside, I always thought that for many years Bruce was under-utilized as it wasn't until the last two KISS albums with Bruce (Revenge and Carnival of Souls) featured the most co-writes and his best guitar playing.
Post-KISS Bruce remained very active - doing two solo albums, forming Union with John Corabi, playing with Grand Funk Railroad and always embracing and staying active in the KISS community.
So now we come to tomorrow's release of BK3, Bruce's new solo album. Musically, its a great culmination of what Bruce has been doing for so many years, both with KISS and after his time with the band. This is an album that's a must for any and all KISS fans - and don't bother whining about who is or was better, Ace or Bruce, blah, blah, blah. Get over it - both made huge contributions to KISS and both put up with Gene & Paul for so many years! No, what matters is that whether you are a KISS fan or not, Bruce made a solid, strong and mature ROCK album. Big hooks, great production, and an array of great guitar licks. No, this isn't a Vai or Satriani type of record - this is an album of songs - and its worth noting that this album actually only has one instrumental on it. And yes, there's plenty of shred-worthy moments on the album. Guests include John Corabi, Steve Lukather, Eric Singer, Gene Simmons and Gene (and Shannon's) son Nick Simmons (on the first single, "Hand of the King").
The bottom line is you don't need to be a KISS fan to enjoy a this quality hard rock record. If you like songs with big hooks and big guitars - regardless of whether you are a KISS fan or not - BK3 - is worth checking out.
Author: Steve
A weapon of self-distraction, motivated by fear and revenge, fueled by passion, anxiety and caffeine, I am the VP of Sales for Rocket Science.Jan/100
Late to the Party…My faves of 2009.
Here we go in no particular order, the albums which I most enjoyed in 2009.
1. BLACK GOLD!!! Rush. Seriously, buy it now.
2. Anya Marina - Slow & Steady Seduction. "Move You" is my favorite.
3. Temper Trap - Conditions. Check out "Love Lost", "Resurrection", and of course "Sweet Disposition", that song from (500) Days of Summer.
4. Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms. Quirky, lovely, and soft.
5. Muse - The Resistance. Still not as good as Absolution, but way better than Black Holes & Revelations. I like the mini-symphonies.
6. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Fruit. Fun Fun Fun.
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Golden Age
7. Florence & The Machine -Lungs. It's just so pretty!
Author: AliciaYaffe
I spend my days between my desk and the moon. I'll always be a Virginian at heart (go Hoos), but I'm an official Californian now! I might become a professional skydiver or a spy when I retire from the music game, but i'll never tell! Here at RS? I'm the VP of Bits and Bytes.Jan/100
Best of 2009
Here are my top 3 (+1) for 2009:
The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – s/t
These Chicago based brothers are signed to Damon Albarn’s (Blur, The Gorillaz) Honest Jon’s Records. I’m a sucker for a good brass band and these guys knock harder than the entire Alabama State Million Dollar Marching Band. If you need further convincing, check out the video for ‘War’.
Floating Action –s/t
After dropping two albums under his own name, Seth Kaufman released his latest project under the Floating Action title. The sound swings wildly from Motown inspired rock to reggae tinged slow jams, but the low-fi, throw back vibe holds the album together. Similar to his earlier work, the album features Kaufman performing 90% of the instruments himself, but his touring band helps to take the music to another level entirely. Here they are performing To Connect.
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I know this record is on every other best of ’09 list, but I couldn’t exclude it. It hasn’t left my playlist since April, and there are only a few records that last that long. The remix album that followed this was nice, and after diving into their back catalog, I’m excited to hear what comes next. Watch them live on Letterman and try not to fall in love.
White Denim – Fits
Any description of this band fail to do them justice: Lo-fi polyrhymic jams that explore various genres like Latin and dub, with an obvious Hendrix influence. It doesn’t sound nearly as appealing as the music is, so just listen.
Say What You Want [No video, so click the link to listen]:
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://s0.ilike.com/play%23White%2BDenim:Say%2BWhat%2BYou%2BWant:135858637:s58179718.13912308.4938611.1.2.232%252Cstd_4a21783eda314d6f92e1cc3b7480124c&ei=fcJHS5DQEoeyswO9-q31Dw&sa=X&oi=music_play_track&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=2&ved=0CAgQ0wQoADAA&usg=AFQjCNGbM3SlkbSkq-mnfnSrLzRnLuxyFQ
Author: BenWatson
Born in Philadelphia but an LA native at heart, Benjamin is a marketing coordinator at Rocket Science. Ben also serves as fearless leader of the Rocket Science Ground Crew.Jan/100
Top Ten of 2009
I generally avoid these lists, as my memory usually fails me and I forgot about the awesome records that came out during the first half of the year. This being said, I'm sure once I publish this, I'm going to dive into my music library and come across some amazing releases that slipped my mind. Oh well, here it goes (in almost no particular order:
1. RX Bandits - Mandala
2. Tegan & Sara - Sainthood
3. The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage
4. Metric - Fantasies
5. Fun - Aim and Ignite
6. Langhorne Slim - Be Set Free
7. Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers - The Bear
8. The Generationals - Con Law
9. Lady Gaga - Fame Monster
10. John Mayer - Battle Studies
I'm also pretty positive that 2010 is going to be a fantastic year in music. Here's what I'm most looking forward to:
1. Alkaline Trio
2. Frightened Rabbit
3. Good Old War
4. Limbeck (is one even in the works? It should be!)
Sorry friends...I'm just not that hip.
Author: RoseCampbell
Jan/100
My Top 5 of 2009
1. fun - Aim and Ignite
2. Say Anything - Say Anything
3. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
4. Cassino - Kingprince
5. Jarrod Gorbel - Ten Years Older EP
Author: BetsyUhler
Jan/100
My 2009 Top 10
1. Thirty Seconds To Mars: This Is War
2. Chevelle: Sci-Fi Crimes
3. Hurt: Goodbye To The Machine
4. Sugar Ray: Music For Cougars
5. Three Days Grace: Life Starts Now
6. Eminem: Relapse
7. Vertical Horizon: Burning The Days
8. Creed: Full Circle
9. The Crystal Method: Divided By Night
10. Bon Jovi: The Circle
