INDIE NEWS BEAT May 24, 2006 Edition
*Porn Stars, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Death And Hollywood's Underbelly Come To The Surface In Michael Mangia's The Invisible Wall CD
* Music-Tech.Net Indie Artist Showcase Accepts Submissions
* Above The Madding Crowd Stands Apart At New Music West
* MusicDish Network Adds World Rock To Roster With ASHRAF
* Music Discovery Network Launches The Da Vinci Contest
* Pompeii Master Record, Begin Tour
* The Good Luck Joes Announce National Tour In Support Of New Album!
* FWE Recording Artist, Alkebulan Wraps Up 19th Annual Brown/ Parrish Black College Tour
* HCM Wins Kweevak Award!
Michael Mangia is not your typical artist. And The Invisible Wall (
) is not your typical CD. The latest album from Hollywood-based indie singer-songwriter-pianist Mangia, while filled with compellingly beautiful melodies on the surface, actually buries some deep dark themes. In many ways, Michael Mangia is the David Lynch of pop music.
The Invisible Wall is the story of a painter, taking listeners through his canvas, which is filled with the lives of addicted porn stars and their admirers, children's sci-fi fantasy books, an Italian mobster/father's death, the façade-filled world of Hollywood and the effects of television on society. The album is all tied together through the haunting themes that lurk beneath the beauty of Mangia's piano-driven melodies.
The new album was produced and mixed by Mangia over a 2-year period in his own high-tech loft studio in downtown Los Angeles (which was featured in an article in Keyboard Magazine). "Having my home also be my workspace allowed me to play around with sound techniques, in a Beatles-esque way, with whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. As I continued to write, the songs pieced themselves together into what would become The Invisible Wall." Mangia has employed the talents of guest musicians on this remarkably eclectic CD Â veterans who have played with a wide range of artists, including Jimmy Paxson (Stevie Nicks), Zac Rae (Alanis Morissette) and Ed Maxwell (Gary Jules, Devics).
But Mangia's favorite song on the album is actually not even officially listed. There is a new hidden bonus track at the end of the CD entitled "Life Support on Xmas" that  for Mangia  sums up all the themes on this album. "It really captures the meaning and the feel of this record more than any other single song. I wanted it to be like a special gift for listeners. I placed it on the CD nearly four minutes after the album has supposedly ended, because it's a song that is very much about the peace that follows the silence."
Influenced by artists as diverse as Tori Amos, Ben Folds, Portishead, Travis and Rufus Wainwright, Michael Mangia is unique. And now, with the release of The Invisible Wall, Mangia is preparing to bring his hauntingly gorgeous melodies and deeply moving, sometimes disturbing, sonic paintings to the world. What is "The Invisible Wall?" For Mangia, "It's the barrier that separates the good from the sordid, light from dark, even reality from fantasy." Get ready  Michael Mangia is about to take you on an unforgettable musical trip through The Invisible Wall.
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Music-Tech.Net Indie Artist Showcase Accepts Submissions
MusicTechNet LLC presents the Music-Tech.Net Indie Artist Showcase. The showcase is a competition for independent bands and artists with market ready music CDs for sale. The showcase selects the number one band or artist based on the number of CDs sold through the Music-Tech.Net website during the July 10 Â August 24, 2006 twelve week sales period. The deadline for submission is May 30th 2006.
Artists who submit to the showcase receive:
* a CD review
* a chance for the review to post to the Music-Tech.Net website
* consumer and industry exposure
* commissions from CD sales
* a chance to receive distribution and syndication via the showcase podcast
* a chance to win a gift certificate up to $7,000.00
* gifts and prizes from sponsors
Post-showcase marketing support
For more information visit the Music-Tech.Net website:
http://www.music-tech.net/submission.html?source=mi2n+pr
For sponsorship information contact Walter Boone at 229 878 0058.
Music-Tech.Net is your premier digital product retailer and marketing engine with products including music software, music instruments and sound equipment, computers, music books and sheets, music CDs, CD media and CD duplicators. Music-Tech.Net is committed to provide quality products and services and is dedicated to supporting the independent music community.
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Above The Madding Crowd Stands Apart At New Music West
Roots songwriter Lee Lindsey will soon begin touring select markets internationally following the successful debut launch of her second record Above The Madding Crowd off of her bi-continental upstart label, Tall Poppy Records at New Music West last month. More information will be posted online in the incoming weeks as dates areannounced.
Lee originated Tall Poppy Records in London, UK in 1999 as an urban roots and folk rock label, with producer/engineer Jack Guy (INXS, All Saints, Sugababes). In the same year, she began a weekly series of showcases to benefit the local independent music community called Tall Poppy Presents Lee Lindsey and Friends. The night ran with great success and industry recognition for three and a half years and continues today with the Best Of series running every three months at the prestigious Bush Hall.
Having recently moved to Vancouver, BC, Lee Lindsey and Tall Poppy have been expanding their brand of showcases to both BC and Alberta along with announcing newly signed artists in 2006. Lee believes live music should be a part of everyones life and her vow is to provide a platform for talented, committed artists to develop and grow, both locally and internationally.
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MusicDish Network Adds World Rock To Roster With ASHRAF
The MusicDish Network announced that it recently added Toronto-based band ASHRAF to its roster of independent artists and bands. Drawing from the styles of acts like Maroon 5, Lenny Kravitz, Rob Thomas and Prince, his songs blend influences from the east and the west to create a unique connection with today's global audience.
ASHRAF will benefit from the MusicDish Network's artist development program, including:
* Defining & implementing the band's business/marketing plan;
* Leveraging the company's marketing services such as including syndicated & community marketing, online street teaming, webradio promotion and p2p distribution;
* Regional market development, particularly expanding the band's performance schedule and geographic reach, industry networking and fan building;
* Representation at major music conferences.
Led by Egyptian-born singer/songwriter Ashraf Amin, the band combines an international roster of veteran musicians ranging from Bulgaria and Ukraine to France. Their debut album "Perfect Chaos" (),
set for release this summer, was recorded and mastered at Metalworks Studios, home to international recording artists, Prince, N'Sync, Christina Aguilera and Sum 41. 
The album is a compelling and exciting audio journey drifting across the fringes of soulful and jazzy blues-rock, with tracks like Shatter or Blue Flame, to emotionally charged and hard-hitting power-pop ballads like Angels Only Knew and Whispers.
"I've watched Ashraf grow and evolve since I first spoke to him late last year," noted MusicDish Network's Eric de Fontenay. "From a starting singer/songwriter/composer with some recorded tracks, he's built an impressive and tight band, successfully released the single "Shatter" and begun hitting the Toronto club scene, including a monthly residency at DeGrassi House. We're delighted to welcome Ashraf to our roster."
The single "Shatter" ()
will be featured on the 8th volume of the Songsalive! CD Sampler promoted worldwide this fall, with an acoustic version already included on the Acoustic Rainbow Sampler CD, sent to over 1200 DJs worldwide in the fall of 2005. ASHRAF's songs have already been placed in several prominent network television shows including the home reality series: "Hometeam" scheduled to air on NBC, Fox, WB and cable TV across North America this Fall. The music video for the single "Shatter" has been featured on "Swept Away TV" a teen music television show syndicated across 64 US markets.
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Music Discovery Network Launches The Da Vinci Contest
The intrigue of the Da Vinci Code and Leonardo Da Vinci's life inspires new contest to build greater appreciation for independent music and art.
The Music Discovery Network (MDN), Creative Musicians Coalition (CMC), Artistic Outlet (AO), and a number of enthusiastic sponsors launch the Da Vinci Contest. A rendition of Leonardo Da Vinci's Self Portrait has been painted by up-and-coming artist, Peter Gullerud, with several imbedded codes, which challenge contestants to solve an intricate puzzle. The Da Vinci Contest will reward multiple participants for a variety of solutions.
Ron Wallace, founder of MDN/CMC/AO says, "My passion for the past twenty years has been to expose up-and-coming artists and their music to a greater audience. Dan Brown, author of the Da Vinci Code, whom I worked with for a decade, was one such artist. His interest in Leonardo Da Vinci rubbed off. The popularity of the book along with my fascination for Da Vinci, inspired a way to draw more attention to our current artists and the opening of our on-line gallery, Artistic Outlet."
The Da Vinci Contest runs through October 31, 2006 on-line and nationally at participating retailers. One Grand Prize, thirty Place Prizes, one Best Invention Prize, and various daily prizes will be awarded. Individuals may enter once per day. The contest, rules, and prize list are available on-line at http://www.DaVinciContest.com.
The Music Discovery Network was established in 1993 to provide marketing and distribution services to members of the Creative Musicians Coalition, a 22 year old musicians' cooperative. Artistic Outlet is a new on-line art gallery offering original art from up-and-coming artists.
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Pompeii Master Record, Begin Tour
Pompeii will be embarking on a tour of the South West beginning 5/19 to showcase material from their forthcoming Eyeball Records album due out this fall. Their first full-length was produced by D. James Goodwin (Murder by Death, Sleep Station) was mastered this past week. The band is currently working on the artwork for it as we write. Three songs, "Numbers," "Stories and Charts" and "Miracle Mile" are available as a stream on (http://www.myspace.com/pompeii) Pompeii's myspace page and the song "Catalogue" as video and mp3 here on (http://www.eyeballrecords/artists/pompeii/) the Eyeball Records site. The second video for the record will also be shot in LA during the tour. Shane Stevens offered this to fans, "We leave tomorrow and are really looking forward to seeing some of you. For those of you we wont see on this tour, we will be heading out again in August through the midwest. And for those of you that live here in Austin, please come out and show your support. Don't be shy either, come up to us and say hi."
Currently confirmed tour dates are as follows:
05/19/2006 @ Red Eyed Flyr, Austin, TX 73301
05/20/2006 @ The Hive, San Angelo, TX 76901
05/21/2006 @ The Bean, Mesilla, NM 88046
05/23/2006 @ The Scene Bar, Glendale, CA 91205
05/24/2006 @ The Knitting Factory, los angeles, CA 90028
05/25/2006 @ The Golden Bull, Oakland, CA 94612
05/26/2006 @ The Phoenix Theatre, Petaluma, CA 94952
05/27/2006 @ Gigantic Vintage, Bakersfield, CA 93301
05/28/2006 @ Rock N Java, Las Vegas, NV 89123
05/29/2006 @ The Joint, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (Free Show)
05/30/2006 @ Santa Fe Brewing Company, Santa Fe, NM 87500
05/31/2006 @ The Pod, Amarillo, TX 79106
06/01/2006 @ The Glasnost, Oklahoma City, OK 73101
06/02/2006 @ The Door, Ft. Worth, TX 76106
06/03/2006 @ Emos, Austin TX 73301
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The Good Luck Joes Announce National Tour In Support Of New Album!
The Good Luck Joes are one of the hottest young bands out of the Midwest today, creating waves in the music industry and catching the ears of listeners nationwide. Since their conception in 2002, the Milwaukee-based quintet have caught the ears of discerning listeners (young and old), as well as some key movers-and-shakers in the music industry. The band's forthcoming sophomore album, What Do You Think of That Noise? (in stores July 11, 2006 through Redeye Distribution) runs the gamut of the modern pop-rock spectrum. Between the summery, stadium-pop of "Middle of Me" and the ethereal electronic sounds of "Butterflies," lies a collage of garage, folk, classic rock and modern Top 40, each blended with a sense of playfulness into a brand of pop that has something all its own. With the help of Chad Fischer's (Colin Hay, Cary Brothers, Alexi Murdoch) production, the GLJ's have refined a sound that treads nimbly around Coldplay's piano-driven grandiosity, George Harrison's guitar hooks and Wilco's intimate confessions-in-song.
Live, The Good Luck Joes have a charismatic and highly energetic stage presence. Audiences relate emotionally to the band's lyrics, which are done justice by lead-singer Andrew Martin's impassioned and honest delivery. Next to him are lead-guitarist Andrew Krei and keyboardist Andrew Citron, who both intrigue with their stage presence: at some moments they are pictures of stoic concentration while at others they move with exuberance and rock'n'roll abandon. And in the rhythm section are, surprisingly, two non-Andrews; Joe Scheltema and Peterson Goodwyn on bass and drums, respectively, provide the groove and kinetic energy that drive the bands performance.
THE GOOD LUCK JOES 2006 TOUR DATES
05.16 Milwaukee, WI WMSE Live Studio Performance
05.18 Milwaukee, WI Points East Pub (with Thomas Dolby)
06.01 Baltimore, MD Ram's Head Live (with ABC and The English Beat)
06.04 Montreal, QC The Medley (with ABC)
06.07 Toronto, ON The Republick Nightclub (with ABC)
06.08 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre (with ABC)
06.09 Cleveland, OH House of Blues (with ABC)
06.11 Chicago, IL The Wells Street Arts & Music Festival
06.11 Chicago, IL House of Blues (with ABC)
06.13 Pittsburgh, PA The Club Café (with ABC)
06.14 Sellersville, PA Sellersville Theater
06.16 Londonderry, NH Tupelo Music Hall (with ABC)
06.17 East Hartford, CT East Hartford Community Cultural Center (with ABC)
06.20 Charlotte, NC Amos Southend (with ABC)
06.25 Chicago, IL Private Party
07.08 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest - Potawatomi Casino Stage
07.14 St. Paul, MN Station 4
07.16 Milwaukee, WI Bastille Days  Cathedral Square stage
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FWE Recording Artist, Alkebulan Wraps Up 19th Annual Brown/ Parrish Black College Tour
Up and coming R&B/Soul artist, Alkebulan (pronounced ah-kha-buh-lan) recently completed a tour with high school students titled The Nineteenth Annual Brown/Parrish Black College Bus Tour kicking off on Monday April 10th ending on Friday April 21st 2006. A talented and gifted singer/songwriter, Alkebulan (her name means land of the original people) will release her exhilarating debut album, "Rebel Soul" this summer 2006 on Freedom Williams Entertainment (FWE). Sponsors of the tour include VIBE, Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, 107.5 WBLS, and Freedom Williams Entertainment.
The Brown/Parrish College Bus Tour traveled to campuses of 27 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Because choosing a college or university will be the most important decision that a young adult will make in their lifetime, the tour gave students the opportunity to walk around 27 HBCU's campuses, talk with admission personnel, deans and professors, attend college preparatory seminars, and participate in extracurricular activities. For more info visit www.blackcollegebustour.com.
In addition to her duties as a recording artist, Alkebulan is Vice President and Chief Curator of the Rufus Perry Foundation, of which she is in charge of research and project development. Every year the foundation donates $1,000 in a scholarship to African American students who excel in academics and who wish to study African culture at a university level. Rufus Perry was the great-great grandfather of Freedom Williams, born a slave in Smith County, Tennessee and escaped to freedom in Canada when the slave traders were going to sell him in Mississippi. Perry learned to write Hebrew, Latin, and Greek and became a scholar who penned classic books on the African and Greek people. Carter G. Woodson, Williams Wells Brown, and T. McCants Stewart spoke and wrote about him as one of those "Negroes" who will live forever in the memory of Black people.
Look out for Alkebulan to spread music, knowledge, and love as she prepares for the release of her debut album, "Rebel Soul". She says, "It was a fulfilling experience being able to touch the hearts and minds of students on the Black College Bus Tour!"
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Heart Consort Music has been notified that it's latest release, "Patch Work" by James Kennedy has won a Kweevak 2006 "Reader's Survey" Music Projects of the Year Award. This is the third year in a row that HCM has won this award. The Kweevak Music Awards have shone the spotlight on great music releases and the bands and musicians who have created them since first publishing their site in 1999. The 2005 "Reader's Survey Awards" were presented to the top-50 winners as chosen by visitors to the Kweevak.com website. Almost 150 music projects (CDs/EPs/DVDs) were nominated to be voted on and over 3650 votes were cast. Heart Consort Music extends a big "Thank You" to all of our friends and fans who took the time to vote for us, making this award possible.
Heart Consort Music was founded in 1986. In the intervening years, the company has released 14 albums in a variety of styles, ranging from folk/acoustic to rock/fusion, jazz and world music, and more. All of these releases have received international radio airplay, distribution and exposure. Heart Consort Music's catalog has also been licensed by 3M, AEI, Bravo, Disney, The Discovery Channel, PBS, DMX, Playnetwork, and many others. Celebrating 20 Years of "Music From the Heartland" in 2006!
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Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission
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