The Rest of the Gang:
Julie
Keveeno (the only one who gets a guest spot in his pic) Reeverts
SonjaLet's have a fun summer!
6/26/09
Introducing the 50e Summer Interns – Round Two
So earlier this summer we introduced you to our elite team of interns here at 50 Entertainment. Here's a few more for you.
Julie
Keveeno (the only one who gets a guest spot in his pic) Reeverts
Sonja
Let's have a fun summer!
JulieKeveeno (the only one who gets a guest spot in his pic) ReevertsSonjaLet's have a fun summer!
6/24/09
Chris Brown, It’s Time to Grow a Pair.
This past Monday (June 22nd 2009), Chris Brown sat silent in court while lawyers worked out a plea bargain avoiding jail time for assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. The current deal being worked out is an effort for Brown to avoid jail time for his vicious attack. This cushy deal gets Brown off the hook, all he needs to do is community labor, have 5 years probation, and attend anger management classes. In my opinion this is disgusting. Roslyn Muraskin (Director of the Long Island Women’s Institute) states, “It sets a very poor example, it sends the wrong message to young men and victims of domestic violence.” I couldn’t agree more.
Chris Brown should have lost it all, but he will likely come out on top because of his celebrity status. It won’t be hard for him to do his community service, and write some auto-biography about how he has learned from his mistake, and found a better way cope with his emotions.
So to this I ask him, “If you’re man enough to solve your problems with violence, man enough to beat up a woman you claimed to love, then why are you not man enough to go to jail?” I guess you just aren’t a man after all. So Chris, when you’re putting on that free concert for your community service to cover backside, remember that even Martha Stewart and Paris Hilton have more street-cred than you do.
Cameron
Chris Brown should have lost it all, but he will likely come out on top because of his celebrity status. It won’t be hard for him to do his community service, and write some auto-biography about how he has learned from his mistake, and found a better way cope with his emotions.
So to this I ask him, “If you’re man enough to solve your problems with violence, man enough to beat up a woman you claimed to love, then why are you not man enough to go to jail?” I guess you just aren’t a man after all. So Chris, when you’re putting on that free concert for your community service to cover backside, remember that even Martha Stewart and Paris Hilton have more street-cred than you do.
Cameron
6/22/09
Is Being an Independent Band Better for these Trying Times?
There is a ridiculously good band based out of Washington D.C. that is currently touring and releasing music independently. They are You, Me, And Everyone We Know. Their music has been compared to Panic at the Disco and Say Anything because of the similarities in voices between Ben Liebsch (their lead singer) with Brendon Urie and Max Bemis.
This band has the attitude of being "unsigned and just fine". They have no help from a label doing every single thing involved with the band on their own. This mentality makes everything they do revolve around their music. You Me and Everyone We Know has gotten attention from labels but has never felt right about signing. They don’t want to be blamed for doing their music for the money. They don't have a label to call when their van breaks down or to fund a hotel stay when they need some financial help. In addition, they do not have the help of a label to produce albums and release them at many different outlets.
When both of their albums first came out they gave the music out for free online. They gave away thousands of albums and realized that they were getting enough attention to start charging money for them. Now their albums "Party for the Grown and Sexy" and "So Young, So Insane" can be found on iTunes. These albums have been very successful as well.
Rico Vigil, guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist, was asked about their ‘unsigned and just fine’ attitude towards their music and how it has affected them as a band and responded by saying, "It’s proved to be the best attitude we could have adopted as a band. With the way the music industry is getting to be, putting yourself in the “once we’re signed” mindset can really slow you down." They have toured with the likes of I Am the Avalanche, The Dear Hunter, Four Year Strong, Just Surrender, Every Avenue, Sing it Loud, and The Color Fred.
In some way their “unsigned and just fine” attitude gains them more respect from fans as well as other band because they do what they do strictly to share their music and meet people across the country. In my opinion, they create amazing music and could probably sign to a label with no problem.
Check out the rest of the featured interview at:
http://changetherecord.net/2009/01/10/interview-you-me-and-everyone-we-know/
Check out the bands tunes at:
http://www.myspace.com/youmeandeveryoneweknow
Hannah
This band has the attitude of being "unsigned and just fine". They have no help from a label doing every single thing involved with the band on their own. This mentality makes everything they do revolve around their music. You Me and Everyone We Know has gotten attention from labels but has never felt right about signing. They don’t want to be blamed for doing their music for the money. They don't have a label to call when their van breaks down or to fund a hotel stay when they need some financial help. In addition, they do not have the help of a label to produce albums and release them at many different outlets.
When both of their albums first came out they gave the music out for free online. They gave away thousands of albums and realized that they were getting enough attention to start charging money for them. Now their albums "Party for the Grown and Sexy" and "So Young, So Insane" can be found on iTunes. These albums have been very successful as well.
Rico Vigil, guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist, was asked about their ‘unsigned and just fine’ attitude towards their music and how it has affected them as a band and responded by saying, "It’s proved to be the best attitude we could have adopted as a band. With the way the music industry is getting to be, putting yourself in the “once we’re signed” mindset can really slow you down." They have toured with the likes of I Am the Avalanche, The Dear Hunter, Four Year Strong, Just Surrender, Every Avenue, Sing it Loud, and The Color Fred.
In some way their “unsigned and just fine” attitude gains them more respect from fans as well as other band because they do what they do strictly to share their music and meet people across the country. In my opinion, they create amazing music and could probably sign to a label with no problem.
Check out the rest of the featured interview at:
http://changetherecord.net/2009/01/10/interview-you-me-and-everyone-we-know/
Check out the bands tunes at:
http://www.myspace.com/youmeandeveryoneweknow
Hannah
6/15/09
Band Name History
For years, I have been curious about different bands’ names, origins, and why they always sounded so much cooler than anything I could ever think of myself. So after some research, I have found that most of the origins were merely nothing more than coincidence. Below is a list of five bands’ names and the history behind them.
1) Blink 182: The band was originally going after the name “Blink” which they claim has no meaning, but was threatened with a lawsuit from an Irish band named “Blink.” Thus, the band added 182 which is supposedly the number of times the f-bomb is dropped in one of the member’s favorite movie.
2) Chumbawamba: The band claims that in one of their band member’s dreams he couldn’t decipher which restroom to use. The restroom signs in this particularly odd dream said “Chumba” and “Wamba” rather than “Men” and “Women.”
3) LL Cool J: I lost a bit of respect for him after finding out what this actually means… This artist’s real name is actually James Todd Smith. LL Cool J actually stands for “Ladies Love Cool James.”
4) Goo Goo Dolls: Originally the band called themselves the “Sex Maggots,” however when they were told by a local newspaper that their name was too obscene to print; Jonny Rzenick (front man of the Goo Goo Dolls) picked up a magazine from the early 60’s with and add for a doll that cried “Goo Goo” when you turned it upside down.
5) Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan’s real name is actually Robert Zimmerman. He was apparently very fond of the poet Dylan Thomas. Thus, when putting the two names together Robert (Bob) Dylan was born.
There you have it! Hope this helps anyone and everyone out there discover what their band or stage name might be; and/or how to find it. Check back soon for more band names and their origins.
Cameron
1) Blink 182: The band was originally going after the name “Blink” which they claim has no meaning, but was threatened with a lawsuit from an Irish band named “Blink.” Thus, the band added 182 which is supposedly the number of times the f-bomb is dropped in one of the member’s favorite movie.
2) Chumbawamba: The band claims that in one of their band member’s dreams he couldn’t decipher which restroom to use. The restroom signs in this particularly odd dream said “Chumba” and “Wamba” rather than “Men” and “Women.”
3) LL Cool J: I lost a bit of respect for him after finding out what this actually means… This artist’s real name is actually James Todd Smith. LL Cool J actually stands for “Ladies Love Cool James.”
4) Goo Goo Dolls: Originally the band called themselves the “Sex Maggots,” however when they were told by a local newspaper that their name was too obscene to print; Jonny Rzenick (front man of the Goo Goo Dolls) picked up a magazine from the early 60’s with and add for a doll that cried “Goo Goo” when you turned it upside down.
5) Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan’s real name is actually Robert Zimmerman. He was apparently very fond of the poet Dylan Thomas. Thus, when putting the two names together Robert (Bob) Dylan was born.
There you have it! Hope this helps anyone and everyone out there discover what their band or stage name might be; and/or how to find it. Check back soon for more band names and their origins.
Cameron
6/12/09
What Makes a Good Artist (to You)
One thing that I have noticed about people is their different tastes in music. I’ve been a fan of hip hop since I started listening to music, which sadly wasn’t until 2001. It took a few complications in my life that made me realize what a gift this music was. Before that, I did listen to music but I didn’t care for it as much… it was just something in the background. It wasn’t until I listened to (unfortunately) Eminem that I understood why people loved rap. His music was catchy, controversial, and at that time in my life it spoke to me. I grew, but of course Eminem stayed the same and his music didn’t speak to me anymore.
What I’m getting at is that for each person, their favorite artists/songs speak to them in a way that it doesn’t for other people. Whether it’s the beat, lyrics, artist, or just a random catch phrase in a song, there’s something different in it for every person. I grew up with my sister being very critical, always asking me “why do you like this?” and it made me actually look into it. So this is open to interpretation, I want to know people’s favorite artists or favorite song and why.
From the mind of
Keveeno Reeverts
6/10/09
Man Starts Spontaneous Dance Party
6/8/09
The Hangover Movie Review
I went and saw The Hangover last friday night with some of my friends. I knew going into the movie that it was going to really funny, through the previews and celebrity tweets (Mark Hoppus). The movie was about 4 friends who went to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. From start to finish the movie was just full of laughs and I can't remember a part of the movie when the audience was not laughing. There was never a dull moment with Ed Helms (Stu Price), who we all know and love from The Office as Andy Bernard. I can see him starring in many more movies in the future. The other members of the cast were great and included Bradley Cooper (Phil Wenneck), who took charge as the group had to find thier friend Justin Bartha (Doug Billings) who went missing after the night of craziness. My favorite character hands down was Zach Galifianakis (Alan Garner), he always seemed to stir things up. There were times during the movie, where you think you had it figured out, but you would be very wrong. I say go see this movie because if you don't you would be missing one of the greatest movies this summer. I haven't laughed this hard since Superbad, I am going to be seeing this movie again to pick up on things I missed due to the fact I was laughing so hard.
Will
The Hangover. Just....wow. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard. That's the funniest thing I've seen in forever. So wrong.11:15 PM Jun 3rd from UberTwitter - Mark Hoppus Twitter.
Here's an article about Ed Helm's missing tooth.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20283408,00.html
6/3/09
ELEVATION to go on Armed Forces Tour in July
It's an honor to announce that ELEVATION will be embarking on a tour to the Middle East in July to play for service men and women in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kyrgyzstan. Although some of the areas we may be visiting might be sensitive, we will try to update you as much as possible during the tour with blogs and photos. This is going to be a thrilling experience for us.
Also, we are adding some East Coast dates in late June right before we head out. So be sure to come out and send us off.
Love,
ELEVATION
Concert Review: Third Eye Blind @ First Ave.
Third Eye Blind made a stop at First Ave. in Minneapolis last Sunday, May 31st. The show was packed and my view was obstructed by a lot of tall people, but that didn't bother me because I had a real good time singing along.
It took the first few songs for the band to really get into it, but their energy level after that more than exceeded my expectations. Even though Third Eye Blind experienced a ridiculous amount of success in the 90's they have not sold out. They made it clear how much they appreciate us all sticking with them through their 6-year-no-album-break and that they would not be out on tour before their album even drops if it was not for all the fans. They played a good mix of songs from all their albums. The band did something really interesting in the middle of the set to slow it down and relax a little bit. All the members sat down on the drum risers and played acoustic instruments for a few songs and even let the crowd chose a few of the songs they would play. It really felt like there was a connection between the band and the audience. After that they bounced back to being just as energetic as they were earlier in their set closing with many of the upbeat sing-a-longs like "Jumper" and "Semi Charmed Life". They even played a song from their most recent EP Red Star, and another from their forthcoming LP, Ursa Major.
The most powerful moment of the concert for me was when they played "Motorcycle Drive By". Stephen Jenkins explained that it is a really old song and it meant a lot to him when he wrote it and that it continues to mean a lot to him now because it means a lot to so many of us. It is one of my favorite songs by the band and I couldn't help but get chills when they played it.
Everyone pick up their forthcoming LP, Ursa Major, that is coming out August 18th! Third Eye Blind is currently a completely independent band with no record label, so I am sure they would really appreciate the support.
-Hannah
It took the first few songs for the band to really get into it, but their energy level after that more than exceeded my expectations. Even though Third Eye Blind experienced a ridiculous amount of success in the 90's they have not sold out. They made it clear how much they appreciate us all sticking with them through their 6-year-no-album-break and that they would not be out on tour before their album even drops if it was not for all the fans. They played a good mix of songs from all their albums. The band did something really interesting in the middle of the set to slow it down and relax a little bit. All the members sat down on the drum risers and played acoustic instruments for a few songs and even let the crowd chose a few of the songs they would play. It really felt like there was a connection between the band and the audience. After that they bounced back to being just as energetic as they were earlier in their set closing with many of the upbeat sing-a-longs like "Jumper" and "Semi Charmed Life". They even played a song from their most recent EP Red Star, and another from their forthcoming LP, Ursa Major.
The most powerful moment of the concert for me was when they played "Motorcycle Drive By". Stephen Jenkins explained that it is a really old song and it meant a lot to him when he wrote it and that it continues to mean a lot to him now because it means a lot to so many of us. It is one of my favorite songs by the band and I couldn't help but get chills when they played it.
Everyone pick up their forthcoming LP, Ursa Major, that is coming out August 18th! Third Eye Blind is currently a completely independent band with no record label, so I am sure they would really appreciate the support.
-Hannah
The New Media Ark (under construction)
While a lot of the old heads stand in the raging rains waiting for it to pass, we have these new media sites which are becoming an ark. So when the water eventually passes over everybody's head, only those that focus on what's "now" and keep building on their ark will survive.
Everybody knows about declining record sales and feel as though their drowning in their past strategies. From several counts it can be to lack of good music- But with countless different genres and many variations with the lowest near 200,000 and top over 2 million on MySpace artists I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. Some call it over saturation which could be the case. Could it be the overall quality?
Well in hindsight we see where we went wrong when we find the finished ark of our new media, but I don’t think there will ever be a finished ark. With media and software always changing, so should the ark. Those who stick to the old ways will fail and those who are late on what's new will just miss the ship (i.e. those who don’t use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace [which is quickly becoming old], Pandora Radio, and/or any other start-up sites that use a word of mouth approach to marketing).
Right now the best sales pitch is friend-to-friend, not billboard-to-billboard on the highway. A lot of new media is free. It's just a matter of standing out, which is why the ark will never be finished, just like in DC it’ll always be under construction. We must continuously be on the lookout for what's new and jump on the ship before its time to build another.
From the mind of
Keveeno Reeverts
Everybody knows about declining record sales and feel as though their drowning in their past strategies. From several counts it can be to lack of good music- But with countless different genres and many variations with the lowest near 200,000 and top over 2 million on MySpace artists I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. Some call it over saturation which could be the case. Could it be the overall quality?
Well in hindsight we see where we went wrong when we find the finished ark of our new media, but I don’t think there will ever be a finished ark. With media and software always changing, so should the ark. Those who stick to the old ways will fail and those who are late on what's new will just miss the ship (i.e. those who don’t use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace [which is quickly becoming old], Pandora Radio, and/or any other start-up sites that use a word of mouth approach to marketing).
Right now the best sales pitch is friend-to-friend, not billboard-to-billboard on the highway. A lot of new media is free. It's just a matter of standing out, which is why the ark will never be finished, just like in DC it’ll always be under construction. We must continuously be on the lookout for what's new and jump on the ship before its time to build another.
From the mind of
Keveeno Reeverts
6/1/09
Nate's Word of the Day, Chapter 2: Memory
Year 2 of an ongoing project.
Concept: Say 1 word a day, for a year, to complete a story.
For more on the story, location of shots, and other information go to:
http://www.natesword.com
Concept: Say 1 word a day, for a year, to complete a story.
For more on the story, location of shots, and other information go to:
http://www.natesword.com
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