More free download news

On a complete side note to this post, I couldn't endorse Butch Walkers new website www.therecordbusinessisfucked.com with more enthusiasm if I tried. It's worth mentioning again because anyone who missed the extensive article about this little nugget of independent rebel ion should use their little fingers, type in the address and head on over now for a peek.

Speaking of free songs, check out this little freebie. When you check it out you will also be raising awareness to a lovely UK campaign.



Local upstarts The mars patrol (who I think I've mentioned on here before) have been working with the organisation, FREdome to promote their idea to control the energy crisis, climate change and disease. Keeping in the spirit of this article I am pleased to announce they are giving away one of their tracks 'Take a look at the world' for FREE on their myspace page to raise awareness. The band is currently working on a mini site dedicated to the cause, which will be online soon. There you will be able to show your support and help combat this problem.

The song is completely free (legally, really!) and straight from their EP 'making memories'. You can hear more tracks from this on their myspace. The band was in the US the end of last year and should they return I'll be sure to tell you soon.

so get our free download at the mars patrol myspace. and check out more about The mars patrol at the mars patrol website.

In other news, why is the US presidential election so exciting! If I watch anymore of
Larry King I'll explode. Not very British of me but having 3458397589347534 sky channels was never good for anyone’s social life.

New, proper planned half decent article coming soon.

Also, thanks to everyone who checked out the Invisible children Video, I, and the people at Invisible children really appreciated you taking the time.

*By Gina, who has just watched 'Into the wild' but is not tempted to burn all of her money

A quick head up, Celebrity drug users

A bit of breaking news on the UN finally addressing the exposure celebrities gain for using drugs ( here in the UK). Read the news of the statement issued here.

"UN: It's time to get tough with celebrity drug abusers"

Currently gathering general opinion of this. Please feel free to email your thoughts for putting a new article together. It would be great if anyone has US examples of this or opinion on the US celebrity drug cases.

Ginabe4n@googlmail.com

*By Gina who is glad this issue being addressed

Review - Everybody hurts

A book review. A book review?! Apart from the mass of ‘arty farty encyclopaedias and design tutorials, there’s not much that’s makes for good reading in this abode - Unless you count the Dog the bounty hunter biography which, by the way is awesome! Having heard the awkward underground chatter about ‘Everybody hurts’, it was a pleasant surprise to see it sitting innocently on the book table of HMV’s across Scotland.



What’s initially appealing about the book are its writers. Leslie Simons and Trevor Kelley backgrounds and experience make them more than qualified to spell out the facts, the hilarity and the dam right stereotypical traits of what it is to be emo. Let’s face it. Everyone has someone emo within their circle of friends. Fact. For this reason even the toughest of action heroes (I’m looking at you Bruce Willis) could pick up this book and laugh.

So how can these two write 234 pages about being emo? Well without ruining the plot, emo isn’t just about the angle of your senior style comb over. It’s a life style. It’s about the books on your makeshift shelf, the DVD’s stacked on your television, the tempeh in your vegan diet and the threads that adorn you exercise deprived back. It’s a movement like any other, just a movement that is rarely written about.
Maybe it’s because the word emo has so many connotations depending on your generation, location or general prior brushes with this three-letter demon that more people take as an insult rather then compliment. This however, is what makes this book so endearing. Even though it has a light-hearted feel, it does go back to the foundations of the emo era and disescts how today’s scene became what it is

Even if they may not look it from the outset, this book will show you that even the most un emo looking people may be just like you! (William Shakespeare. Who would of thought?!) The quirky side notes and sarcastic remarks throughout this read are laugh our loud funny (or ‘LOL’ as the cool kids call it) The jokes are internationally understandable to emo audiences the world over (unlike the humour of Family guy). So if you fancy an education on the socially awkward or jut a good laugh, this book is for you.

*By Gina – who understands this is late, but we are a bit slow.

NME and Invisible children

I've had a weird day. Maybe even a weird week. I don't know but after taking stock and having a break from putting together a new website I finally sat back and watched a film I have had on my to do list for quite sometime.

I've always been quite a charitable person. I do my bit, help my people and get on my way. Over the last few weeks I've been feeling bad that all I really do is pay a bit of money. It's lazy. I want to do more. Whilst working on my website we have been thinking about how we can get charities involved. The guy I'm working on it with an I support different charities but they basically do the same thing. He gave me this film to watch and it has literally changed me. Not just in an 'I must do more' way but in an 'I will do more'.

All you lovely Americans will probably have at least heard of Invisible children. Be it not through their famous support of people like Pete Wentz but hopefully because of this film. 'Invisible children: rough cut'. If you are in the US the film is 20$ but if like me, US DVD’s will not play on your player you can see it here

HEEEERE

I hate to sound like I am a forcing, preaching person but if I have this blog as an outlet I feel its only right even to just make people aware of what is happening. Even if you do not give anything to this, just watching the film would make mine and everyone who supports this really really happy. So please do. It's only 55 minutes of your life which will be about 5 times as long as some of these children. Thanks :)

On to lighter news the weekly indie rag NME hosted their awards last week here in the UK.I Thought I'd post up some winners and losers for you all. Not that I agree with them but important information all the same.

Best British Band - Arctic Monkeys
Best International Band - The Killers
Best New Band - The Enemy
Best Live Band - Muse
Best Solo Artist - Kate Nash
Best Album - ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ - Arctic Monkeys
Best Track - ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ – Arctic Monkeys
Best Video - ‘Teddy Picker’ – Arctic Monkeys
Best Dancefloor Filler - ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ – The Wombats
Best Music DVD - ‘Unplugged In New York’ - Nirvana
Hero Of The Year - Pete Doherty (sidenote: The NME worship this waste of space junkie)
Villain Of The Year - George W Bush

The rest of the awards were a bit pointless BUT, NME named The Hoosiers (a 'getting rather popular' indie pop outfit) worst band. I disagree but will let you decide.
Here are some people to look into.

I will write a more musically constructive piece next time, After I've made a difference and changed a tiny bit of the world.

www.myspace.com/katenashmusic
Listen to 'foundations'
www.myspace.com/thehoosiers
Listen to 'Worst case scenario'

gina x

ps. If anyone knows people supporting Invisible children or anyone involved I'd love to talk to them! thanks

Major labels - Falling on deaf ears?

Major record labels – falling on deaf ears?

There is no denying that the mainstream music labels (EMI, Sony BMG, Warner, and Island/Def jam) are in a critical yet sorry state at the moment. After the redundancy of 1800 EMI employees in December, problems have surfaced concerning the future of music industry employees and even the artists themselves. Cautious not to follow the well trodden road which asks ‘is illegal downloading to blame?’ the question should really be what happens next? And although signing to a major label can have its endless promotional advantages, can doing it on your own be just as effective?

As the start of 2008 kicks in, many record label employees will be feeling the low morale and stress as major companies cut costs, artists and put jobs on the line. CD sales in the US for 2007 plummeted by nineteen percent and there is no sign of a U-turn any time soon. EMI, recently purchased by UK investor Terra Firma, plans to spend £110m ($154m) on restructuring the company. The move is said to generate savings of £98m but will add to their ever growing debt of £1.65bn.

EMI are not the only company guilty here. Island/Def Jam have laid of some of its most important players including A+R VP Rob Stevenson, (who signed Fall out boy and the Killers.) as well as many other top executives in their radio promotions department. Sony BMG have also sacked between seventy and eighty employees within the last two months.

This all may seem like pointless trivia to some and it is obvious being signed to a major label can increase your bands success and reputation to no end. Any major label band will tell you that getting signed is just the beginning, but with resources and money for promotional uses being budgeted into other departments, how much can you achieve on your own before needing help from the men in suits and how can you do it?

Lets start with the obvious and probably most significant fuck you to major labels as of late. Radiohead. After being signed to EMI until 2005
, they decided to release their seventh album ‘In rainbows’ online for any price you please. Having refused to release any financial figures about the experiment, the group were making headlines, proving to everyone who
Opposed the idea that money means nothing. The album claimed number 1 both in the UK and the USA and sold around 7.1 million copies.

DIY culture is something that is highly admired and greatly respected within the music industry. With the right attitude and motivation anything is possible. Take for example, local Edinburgh band The mars patrol. (www.themarspatrol.com). The band have self funded everything they have so far achieved and have self released singles and EP’s to a record label standard. The bands close communication with their fans via online communities and producing a mini TV series (made available throughout Itunes) has gained then the respect they deserve. In this respect This is proof that a band can make their future their own and still retain all creative freedom.

Over in the USA, Californian bands such as Army of freshmen are another living example of self funded success. With major support slots opening for Bowling for soup, multiple tours in the UK and US, funded by even selling their own cars, sacrifice is often the key to success. Having gained a record deal from a Blue hand record, they thought they had cracked it. Blue hand lost all their distrobution as the release of their self titled record loomed. AOF decided to shape their fate and took the records on tours they organized and funded. The bands sold over
10 000 off their own back and lead to such opportunities as a spot on Japans sonic festival which has resulted in this band building is firm base far east.

So if this piece doesn’t at least give you some information on the state of the music business today, it might at least give you a little hope in knowing that making your band you life can be done on your own. It just takes a little hard work.


Gina xo

Can't stop listening to

Amoungst the 'unknown errors' and code I am swamped in this evening whilst I get some websites underway I can't stop listening to 2 bands. Idiot pilot who I'm sure plenty of you know but also Jamie T.



I don't really know how to sell Jamie T to people. He's catagorized as 'Rap, regae, punk' So if any or all of these genres are your kind of thing then clicky click and have a wee neb, oh and he name drops my birth name in one of his songs and considering it's quite a rare name, that's kind of cool! He just makes me want to put my Ipod on and talk a long stroll around Camden town.

Late night post, not much substance to it, but just a couple recommendations for you,

Back to the code. Urgh, such a geek.

<3 gina xo

Jamie T
www.myspace.com/jamietwimbledon
Idiot pilot
http://www.myspace.com/idiotpilot

New year, New dilemas etc

I love travelling, even if it’s just from my flat to the shops, I love it. Any time I can switch some music on and have a good old think to myself I love, so as I write you this little UK instalment it’s coming to you direct from the Forth road bridge, enveloped in the misty countryside of Scotland whilst retreating to my small cosy city flat. I have been sitting thinking about everything that has happened in the last month or so, and even though I may not have done too much apart from study, I’ve really figured out a lot of things.

Firstly I will say my farewells to Spitalfield from this side of the world. Rolling into Glasgow on a freezing December evening I caught their last Scottish performance. Opening for them however were my ‘tip for 2008’, Tellison which was an altogether bonus on my part. On their last tour, Tellison (WWW.MYSPACE.COM/TELLISON) played to crowds of no more than a handful of people but you wouldn’t think that this evening. The most instruments, voices and strange noises you can include in one song make this one of the most interesting and joyful acts to rise form the UK for a while and with people knowing the words….I think the hype is beginning to spread.
Anyway, back to the matter in hand, Spitalfield. Churning out their best from the past ten years you could see the passion still in them and the faces of the (what should have been more) dedicated fans. These guys still managed to make people half way around the world lose their minds to their music for 90 minutes and it amazes me. If I can ever make someone like what I do that much, even one person, I can’t even put into words how happy that would make me. So as the farewell speeches and thank you sentiments were announced, I couldn’t have clapped harder. These bands who put their music before anything and everything in their lives mean every thank you they give to people and that really hit home at this show in particular. And to top it off, to still play a show with as much energy as your first ten years down the line, that deserves the biggest respect. Thanks Spitalfield.

I think this people appreciating what you do business ties in nicely to the inward argument I have been having with myself for months. Education.
Do you need education to succeed? That question seems dumb because obviously you don’t but does having all these qualifications make someone a better more reliable person at their chosen subject? I’m in the middle of deciding about carrying on studying or going it on my own to really do what I want and I’m not sure what to do? Considering I like to surround myself with self made people who, instead of going to college for four years have built up their own companies and lives from scratch there is a heavy influence to go it alone. Has anyone had this dilemma before? Can they help me? I have a plan but I do not know if I am brave enough to go for it or stay on the safe ground of education. Hell, Maybe I’ll do some research and contact some people for a chat and make a PV article about it because I don’t think I have been the only one in this situation. If you have any advice or a story (band members, leaving college to do music, that decision, company owners, anything!) please email me and I can put something together!

Just passed the sign for Edinburgh so thankfully for any poor soul reading I really do have to wrap this up. So!
BANDS TO LISTEN TO (based on my Itunes shuffle from this journey!)

Explosions in the sky – What do you go home to?
The Stranglers six – Back to the start
Anthony Green – Meet me on Montauk
Nine black Alps – future wife
Cauterize (who never made it to the UK RIP!) – Love in the attic

Love
Gina!
xo
PS – THANK YOU FOR THE RETURN OR PRISON BREAK AMERICA, FOR THIS I LOVE YOU!

Kind of musicaly related but you will be interested post.

I just thought i would drop a quick post with some tour dates...but not of the musical variety. I assure you i think you will like it though!

Chris Gutierrez, professional thought provoker and insanely honest writer is (or has by the time this is posted) hit the road in the US again to read to innocent ears of American civilians everywhere. "famed" (and i use the term loosely) for the Fall out boy name check in 'Take this to your grave's' track 'Hey chris' (Grenade jumper if i remember correctly) he has attracted fans from both this and beyond by setting up his own publishing company, Deadxstop. With his first book selling out and the second book now released, Chris is driving around the US ready to give you an insight to all of his thoughts and childhood stories. If you want to have a read of a few story snippets from the second book, the head on over to http://newbook2.livejournal.com/ and if you want to head on out to a date, which would be highly appreciated and very nice!, then have a look below to see where he is at, which is pretty much everywhere!

1 Aug 2007 18:00
uncommon grounds jacksonville, Florida
22 Aug 2007 19:00
souther folklore memphis, Tennessee
23 Aug 2007 18:00
Walter’s On Washington houston, Texas
24 Aug 2007 18:00
cafe brazil dallas, Texas
25 Aug 2007 13:00
Scooter’s Coffeehouse kansas city, Missouri
26 Aug 2007 18:00
coffee cartel st. louis, Missouri
7 Sep 2007 18:00
TBA las vegas, Nevada
8 Sep 2007 18:00
TBA phoenix, Arizona
9 Sep 2007 11:00
jennifers coffee connection studio city, California
10 Sep 2007 18:00
TBA sna francisco, California
13 Sep 2007 19:00
cutter point cafe tacoma, Washington
14 Sep 2007 18:00
bean scene minneapolis, Minnesota
15 Sep 2007 18:00
TBA milwaukee, Wisconsin
16 Sep 2007 18:00
the fixx coffeebar chicago, Illinois
17 Sep 2007 18:00
AJs cafe ferndale, Michigan
18 Sep 2007 18:00
Brielle’s Coffee and Team Room cleveland, Ohio
19 Sep 2007 18:00
TBA buffalo, New York
20 Sep 2007 18:00
TBA albany, New York
21 Sep 2007 18:00
Umass-lowell lowell, Massachusetts
22 Sep 2007 18:00
voxpop cafe brooklyn, New York
23 Sep 2007 18:00
starbucks Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
24 Sep 2007 18:00
TBA baltimore, Maryland

Some other useful link include!

http://www.myspace.com/thedeadxstoppublishingcompany
http://www.myspace.com/deadxstopstreetteam
http://www.askheychris.com - for the online store and livejournal

Seriously recommended for people who like the following

Coffee, coffee houses, anything in coffee houses (i recommend the cheesecake, always), being in a coffee house chillin while listening to someone talk FOR FREE, laughing, laughing out loud, using your brain a little, being intreuged, laughing at someone elses embarrasing expense, supporting the DIY ethics of punk rock.

sweet. ok. now go!

Gina x

ps. did anyone watch Biffy Clyro at Warped, if you did what did you think?

coming at u from the wrong side of day.

Being a completely nocturnal person at the moment, I'm typing this at 2am UK time whilst working on finishing illustrations for a learning game. I have also never posted on here so i best introduce myself, I'm Gina. No stranger to this planet verge business I have been somewhat absent from it for a while. So why am i writing? To rant and rave and share my thoughts like the other girls do. and hell I'm starting with this.

The live earth concerts.
The live earth concert in the uk (held at webly areana) was staged a week after the Diana tribute concert and was at the same venue, with similar artists. Not only was i comfused as to which highlights from which concert i was watching on TV, it really ruined the 'specialniss' (its not a real word, i know) of the Diana tribute. This is a sidenote to what I want to rant about however.

HOW ON EARTH DOES 7 OR 8 CONCERTS WORLDWIDE DO ANYTHING TO HELP THE STATE OF THE EARTH?! The concert is live earth, it aims to raise awareness of climate control throughout the world through music. I do not understand how using as much lighting, energy and resources as it did to host 8 worldwide concerts really helps to control the energy levels. How does hosting these huge concerts really contribute to helping the matter? Can music really bring people together to take action against an issue like this? Concerts to 'raise awareness' of matters really are the biggest gimic in the book. Any excuse for a charity or company to gather together some huge names getting paid rediculious ammounts so they can get some TV air time does not constitute to helping solve a problem. Now the concert is over, the television coverage in the UK to promote the cause has plummeted right back down to minimal again and the issue has now been swept under the carpet and in its place is 'the next big thing' we have to throw a concert and a party about to try and 'resolve'. For every person i have asked who watched it, not one of them have responded with 'that was a good concert, what are your views on the climate change?' or 'what a good way to raise awareness' , they have simply spoke of the bands who played or something along the lines of the pussycat dolls wearing next to nothing on stage. How that helps solve the situation i DON'T KNOW!.

So the next time some charity wants to raise awareness of a situation, think outside the box and don't put on a concert, you're raising nothing but the profiles of the people who play it, not the issue you wish to promote.

On a totaly different note, if you are hitting warped tour this year please PLEASE go and see BIFFY CLYRO. I have to fly the patriotic scottish flag here, and yes i am probably very biased but whether they came from Ayr, scotland or the middle of nowhere, they are one of my favourite bands ever. Their new album 'puzzle' hit number 2 in the UK charts but if it all sounds a bit too generic rock for you, look into older LP's such as 'Blackened Sky' and 'The vertigo of bliss'. Hit up Itunes and download '27', '57', 'justboy' 'glitter and trauma' and/or 'Saturday superhouse' to get a taster. their dates are as follows...


28 Jul 2007 12:00
First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre Chicago, Illinois
29 Jul 2007 12:00
Metrodome Minneapolis, Minnesota
31 Jul 2007 12:00
Marcus Amphitheatre Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1 Aug 2007 12:00
Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, Ohio
3 Aug 2007 12:00
Tweeter Center at the Waterfront Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4 Aug 2007 12:00
Nassau Coliseum New York City, New York
5 Aug 2007 12:00
Raceway Park Englishtown, New Jersey
7 Aug 2007 12:00
Verizon Wireless Center Indianapolis, Indiana
8 Aug 2007 12:00
Post Gazette Pavilion Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
9 Aug 2007 12:00
Tweeter Center Boston, Massachusetts
10 Aug 2007 12:00
Darien Lakes Field Buffalo, New York
11 Aug 2007 12:00
Park Place Toronto, Ontario
12 Aug 2007 12:00
Parc Jean-Drapeau Montreal, Quebec
14 Aug 2007 12:00
UMB Bank Pavilion St Louis, Missouri
15 Aug 2007 12:00
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Kansas City, Kansas

Other UK bands to get on your myspace whilst I'm at it:

Tellison, from London. With their astounding album contact! contact! www.myspace.com/tellison
and also
Hell is for heroes - this band have been on the UK circuit for years, yet when i recently went to london to see them at one very small Barfly venue, they as always, tore the place apart with both new and old material. Best songs to download, 'I can climb mountains' and 'you drove me to it'
www.myspace.com/hellisforheroes.

That's all for now, must crash, More UK bands and useless banter to be added soon!

Gina xo