Grand Atlantic on SXSW Watch

Austin Town Hall adds Australia's Grand Atlantic to their SXSW Watchlist. saying "Tripwires" "reminds me a lot of Dandy Warhols." Download the song here. Click Here to Read More..

Win tickets to see Rocky Votolato and Golden Bloom!

Time's running out to win tickets to see Golden Bloom with Rocky Votolato, Peasant and Thieving Irons at Mercury Lounge tomorrow night. Head on over to Living Free NYC and leave a comment for your chance to win! Click Here to Read More..

Largehearted Boy Offers Golden Bloom & The Motion Sick MP3s

Head on over to Largehearted Boy's Daily Downloads to grab Golden Bloom's cover of The Motion Sick's insanely infectious tune "30 Lives". Can't get enough? Check out The Motion Sick's original version while you are there as well. Click Here to Read More..

Read My Email

We often hear from bands who tell us, "I've tried emailing music bloggers, but I can't get them to respond." It's not uncommon to have that problem, even when you have the relationship with the writer or blogger. These guys are getting hundreds, even thousands of emails every day and it's difficult for them to read every one of them, let alone reply. There are a few ways you can cut through the clutter however.

First off, make sure the media contact you are approaching will indeed like your music. Have they covered other bands that you've been compared to by fans and other media?

Second, although it goes against all logic,take the focus off of selling your band and focus on what the blogger and writer is doing. Think about it like a conversation when you meet someone new. Wouldn't you much rather have them comment about what you are doing and ask you questions about yourself vs hearing them go on and on about themselves?

Use the title of the article they wrote or the band they covered in your email subject. This will greatly increase your chances of having the email opened in the first place. Then talk to them about what you really liked about their review or the artist they covered. These are music people so of course they'd love to talk about music.

Include a link to your music with a mp3 they can offer for download and make sure you let them know it's approved for posting. DO NOT SEND AN ATTACHMENT! I repeat, DO NOT SEND AS AN ATTACHMENT! Nothing is more aggravating then having to wait 15 minutes for all your other emails to go through because you have a 5MB file coming through your server.

I also recommend writing a brief blurb about your band that they can copy and paste to post with the music. Often times bloggers don't have time to write one of their own, so whatever you can do to help take the load off of them will help your cause. And at all costs, avoid hyping your band by saying you are unique, the best, stellar are any of the like. Use descriptive words that can really give the reader an idea of what you sound like. Some examples can be found here. Nine times out of ten a writer will post directly from those blurbs.

Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Building long term relations with the writers you'd like to cover you will only add longevity to your career. Click Here to Read More..

Golden Bloom and The Motion Sick Give Free MP3

When one band covers the other band's music, who is it really giving away the song? It's a bit confusing, especially when they do a mutual song swap. In this case we're giving it a 50/50 split with a free mp3 download of the Golden Bloom covering The Motion Sick's "30 Lives". It will be available for one week only so get it while you can!

Compare and contrast by checking out The Motion Sick's original version here. Click Here to Read More..

Alan Cohen Experience Joins Tom Waits, Devendra Banhart, Neil Young

Alan Cohen Experience joins the likes of Tom Waits, Devendra Banhart, and Neil Young on the Estacion Terrapin podcast. The best part is it's a first glimpse at "Einstein" off the upcoming Space & Time album due out later this year. Click Here to Read More..

SXSW Showcasing Artist, Grand Atlantic, Offers New MP3

In the vein of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver and Teenage Fanclub, Australia's Grand Atlantic offers a fresh mp3 off their upcoming album, How We Survive which is due out in the US on Tuesday, March 9th. Download "She's a Dreamer" here. Click Here to Read More..

Alan Cohen Gives the Experience

Alan Cohen Experience head to Philly on Saturday, February 27th to play Philly's Magic Gardens.

Download the free "Ranger Stranger" MP3 and sing along at the show! Click Here to Read More..

Leopold and His Fiction Play Neon Reverb

In preparation for the release of their upcoming album later this year, Leopold and His Fiction will head to Las Vegas for the second year in a row to play the Neon Reverb music festival next month where they will join Ruby Suns and Autumn Owls.

Want a sneak peak of what to expect? Head yourself on over to Las Vegas Weekly for a sneak peak of lead singer, Daniel James in a Native American headdress from last year's festival. Click Here to Read More..

Ryan's Smashing Life States Vinca Minor One of Best New Albums of 2010

Vinca Minor's Matt Menovcik wakes up every morning in his Seattle apartment to Brian Eno's Music For Films CD. Ryan's Smashing Life proclaims, "One listen to Vinca Minor's sparse but powerful new release Isolation, and we are completely won over. Menovcik is a master it seems at pulling on emotional strings. In the space of seven epic songs, we go from being prideful, soaring to empty, alone and confused. We at times feel whimsical and light, other times paralyzed by beauty our eyes can't see. Menovcik has lifted us out of our lives and into his. It would be the understatement of the year to see Vinca Minor has been influenced by epic movie scores. These are epic explorations of other worlds - reminding me a bit of the sonic landscapes rolled out by Gustav Holst."

Menovcik explains, "That's the thing I really like about film music – that building of a world. That is something I was definitely trying to achieve with this record. I really wanted to make a place where the listener could escape to and get lost in. Film is such a powerful medium with both the imagery and the sound, which is why I like scoring films."

While comparing Vinca Minor to other noteworthy minimalist instrumentalists like Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, Ghost of the Russian Empire, and The Photographic, Ryan says "To expound further on the material would likely lessen from its power - and it is powerful. Unpredictably, Vinca Minor has released one of the best new albums of 2010. Highly Recommended."

Hear for yourself by downloading the free "From Here to Eternity" mp3 at Ryan's Smashing Life. Click Here to Read More..