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contents
August 2010 • Vol. 34 • No.8
cover stories
The Devil Wears Prada
Hardcore music entering the mainstream? A short while ago that prospect would’ve seemed an impossibility. But
this sextet is changing all the rules by drawing the kind of audience and accolades that higher profile acts enjoy.
MC gets to the bottom of the band’s career moves in our exclusive interview with Prada kingpin, Mike Hranica.
By MC Associate Editor, Andy Mesecher
36
Photos: Gordie Ball
KILL OR BE KILLED!
Bernard Baur
In this age of declining CD sales, a band’s live show has become crucial. It is no longer okay to go onstage
with an act that’s unprepared or undercooked; you’ve got to “bring it” every single time––no excuses. In this
unique article, our experts provide tips that will help anyone pump up their performance chops.
40
By Bernard Baur
26th Annual Directory Of Rehearsal Studios
You can always count on Music Connection for up-to-date information that can help your career. In this case, it’s
our newly expanded, national list of rehearsal facilities that are ready and waiting for your use.
Compiled By David Sachs and Julianna Young
54
8th Annual Directory Of Equipment Rental/Cartage & Tech Services
Whether you’re a national act or a local band that’s trying to bring professionalism to your game—lighting FX
perhaps?––this exclusive list of rental and cartage companies will prove indispensable. And if you have any gear
glitches, check out the Tech Services section for qualified repair and maintenance experts.
64 Compiled By Julianna Young
features
20.
22.
30.
44.
46.
78.
Producer Crosstalk: SuperSpy.................................................................................................................By Rob Putnam
Exec Profile: Jon Hichborn....................................................................................................................By Andy Kaufmann
Songwriter Profile: Makeba Riddick...........................................................................................................By Dan Kimpel
Artist Profile: Ride Your Bike.....................................................................................................................By Tom Laurie
Expert Advice: The Piano = Excellent Songwriting Tool..............................................................................By Skye Delamey
Tip Jar: Seven Ways to be More Effective on Facebook.............................................................................By Loren Weisman
reviews
departments
08.
09.
10.
14.
16.
18.
CLOSE•UP
ASSIGNMENTS
NEW TOYS
BOOKSTORE
UP•CLOSE
STUDIO MIX
23.
26.
28.
32.
34.
A&R•LEGAL•MANAGEMENT
SIGNING STORIES
SONG BIZ
FILM•TV•THEATER
MIXED NOTES
47. CD REVIEWS
48. NEW MUSIC CRITIQUES
50. CLUB REVIEWS
Always be vigilant of people attempting to make a “fast buck” off musicians. If you encounter difficulty with an individual listed in this magazine, or if you are confronted
by a dishonest or “shady” operation, drop us a note to inform us of the details. No phone calls please. The opinions expressed in Music Connection, as well as all
Directory listings and contact information, are provided by various sources in the music industry. Music Connection is not responsible for any business transactions or
misadventures that may result from your use of this information.
4
Beautiful
Mar Vista home
with recording studio
3 bedroom, 2 bath
master suite w/
walk in closet,
kitchen has Sub Zero &
6 burner professional
Viking double oven
over 1700 sq ft,
Mar Vista Hill
Mar Vista Elementary
$759,000
PUBLISHER
E. Eric Bettelli
GENERAL MANAGER/
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
E. Eric Bettelli
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER /
SENIOR EDITOR
Mark Nardone
[email protected]
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Denise Coso
[email protected]
ART DIRECTOR
Cesare Perrino
[email protected]
MARKETING/ADVERTISING
MANAGER
Brian Stewart
[email protected]
DIRECTOR OF ONLINE OPERATIONS
Mukul Chauhan
[email protected]
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Hillorie McLarty
[email protected]
ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR
Gary J. Stephens
[email protected]
ARTIST & READER RELATIONS
Julianna Young
[email protected]
TECH EDITOR
Barry Rudolph
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR/VIDEOGRAPHER
Andy Mesecher
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Bernard Baur
[email protected]
SONG BIZ
Dan Kimpel
[email protected]
FILM, TV, THEATER
Tom Kidd
[email protected]
FEATURE WRITERS
DIRECTORy EDITORS
Andy Kaufmann
Julianna Young & David Sachs
[email protected]
[email protected] Rob Putnam
[email protected]
EDITORIAL INTERN
David Sachs
FOUNDED By
J. Michael Dolan
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Nicole Albertson, Bernard Baur, Brett Bush, Doug Diamond, Hans Fink, Gary Graff, Eric A. Harabadian, Joe James,
Matt Jaworski, Oscar Jordan, Tom Jordan, Andy Kaufmann, David Kershenbaum, Tom Laurie, Kim Mack, Jose Martinez,
Michael Mollura, Darryl Morden, Paula Muñoz, Anne O’Neary, Jess Pierce, Rob Putnam, Scott Perham, J. Rentilly, Lisa
Elaine Scott, Daniel Siwek, Laurier Tiernan, Albert Vega, Catherine Veit, Sarah Whited, Jonathan Widran, Ellen Woloshin,
Julianna Young.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Bernard Baur, Scott Dudelson, Kevin Estrada, Jennifer R. Grad, Oscar Jordan, David Klein, Merry Kotte, Tom Laurie, Kim Mack, Cindy
Miley, Michael Mollura, Paula Muñoz, Anne O’Neary, Rob Putnam, Lisa Elaine Scott, Daniel Siwek, Dave Stone, E. H. Tiernan,
Albert Vega, Julianna Young.
Member:
Manufactured and printed in the United States of America,
Music Connection (ISSN# 1091-9791) is published monthly by Music Connection, Inc., 14654 Victory Blvd., Van
Nuys, CA 91411. Single copy price is $3.95, Canada $4.95. Subscription rates: $35/one year, $59/two years.
Outside the U.S., add $25 (U.S. currency) per year. We are not responsible for unsolicited material, which must be
accompanied by return postage. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission of the
publishers is prohibited. The opinions of contributing writers to this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of
Music Connection, Inc. Copyright © 2010 by E. Eric Bettelli. All rights reserved.
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LEGAL COUNSEL
Christopher J. Olsen
[email protected]
Corporate Headquarters
14654 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91411 Office: 818-995-0101
FAX: 818-995-9235 E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Website: http://www.musicconnection.com
3UBSCRIBETO-#./7MUSICCONNECTIONCOMSUBSCRIBE
".1/&5803,r8&&,-:#6--&5*/r%"*-:8&#4*5&r%*(*5"-&%*5*0/r."(";*/&r"6(645
CLUB REVIEWS
Contact: Joseph McCaffrey,
joe@bevonshiremanagement
.com; publicitygiantpanda
dub.com; Booking: valwolfe@the
agencygroup.com (West),
anthonypaolercio@
theagencygroup.com (East)
Web: giantpandadub.com,
myspace.com/giantpandadub
AMP Username: giantpandadub
The Players: James Searl, bass;
Chris O’Brian, drums; Dylan
Savage, guitar; Aaron Lipp, keys.
Material: If nothing else, Giant
Panda Guerilla Dub Squad represent a deep, undying passion for
sun-drenched dub. This groovedout, rock-oriented quartet lay down
a sparkling brand of bass-heavy
reggae that expands upon the work
of their island forebears by layering in
a generous dose of savory, Southern
blues guitar. At moments, the former
six-piece come across like a tropical
P-funk, at others like an Allman
Brothers gone Rastafarian.
Musicianship:
Giant
Panda’s
instruments entwine flawlessly,
meshing magically into razor-sharp
jams. James Searl’s ridiculously
intense bass vibrations are so potent they could probably be felt in
the island hot spots that inspired
Neverwonder
Unity Festival
Long Beach, CA
Contact: Doug Deutsch
Publicity Services 213-924-4901
[email protected]
Web: neverwonder.com, myspace
.com/neverwonder
AMP User Name: neverwonder
The Players: Megan Bobo, vocals;
Vincent Ramos, bass; Andres
Ramos, drums; Conrad Thompson,
guitar.
Material: Neverwonder take a
strong, groove-oriented, funk backbone and flesh it out with hard
rock guitars and soulful vocals.
The overall package is delivered
with a pop sensibility that makes
the material easily accessible and
enjoyable for mainstream audiences,
while still delivering a level of energy
and musicianship that appeals to the
more discerning listener. Lyrically,
the songs appear to be about the
usual: love, life, relationships and
of course, shaking the proverbial
booty.
Musicianship: The musicianship is
solid all around; The Ramos brothers
hold down a very commanding
groove rooted in funk and rock & roll.
Megan Bobo’s voice is epic, which is
not surprising considering she was
52
Performance: From the first note
to their last, Giant Panda were firing
on all cylinders. Limiting betweensong downtime to an absolute
minimum, the group came across
as eminently serious, despite their
whimsical name. Focusing on their
music with laser-like intensity, the
few times they acknowledged their
fans were well-received. The only
frivolous moment of the night was
not of their doing, when someone
inexplicably placed a pineapple on
stage. The one disappointing spot of
their set was a pretty, yet sappy love
song that drained the fire out of an
otherwise ecstatic crowd.
Summary: Giant Panda prove that
white guys can rock a deep-island
riddim as well as that of Jamaica’s
best. It’s hard to believe these dudes
are soliciting donations to fix their
van just so they can continue touring,
when they so obviously deserve
support. With their easily accessible
sound, listeners who think they don’t
like reggae should check this band
out—they’ll likely become converts.
––�����
��������
Andy Kaufmann
Andy Kaufmann
Paradise
Boston, MA
them. Chris O’Brian’s drumming
ably keeps the beat, while the true
icing on the cake is Aaron Lipp’s
keyboard tickling paired with Dylan
Savage’s searing guitar riffs. Vocals
are handled collectively, making
their lyrics secondary to the oneworld vibe they radiate so naturally.
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad: A deep, undying passion for sun-drenched dub.
a finalist on American Idol in 2007.
This collection of musicians play
quite well together, and it’s evident
that they greatly enjoy their sonic
chemistry.
Performance: Neverwonder know
how to deliver the goods from start
to finish. Conrad Thompson, filling
in on guitars for Scott Ramsay, did
an excellent job of complementing
the other players in the band,
considering he had less than a week
to prepare for the gig. This particular
performance also featured Renee
Quail as a guest keyboardist, as well
as a young MC Ken the Gentleman,
who leant a flow or two toward the
end of the set. Bobo is a tremendous
singer; however, she seemed
uncomfortable in her attempted
crowd banter. Furthermore, the
band seemed to have “tamed” their
appearance for this particular show,
since the Unity Festival is an event
with strong Christian overtones.
It would be interesting to see this
band perform again in a more rockoriented venue. The performance
concluded with a very rocking
rendition of “Brick House.”
Summary: It’s really hard to go
wrong when you mix the best
parts of funk with the best parts of
rock. Neverwonder have a formula
that, though not wholly original, is
entirely effective and engaging. The
instrumentation is groove oriented
and very tastefully implemented.
Add to that a vocally gifted frontwoman and you have a recipe for
a band that could have serious
mainstream appeal without being
mainstream. However, rock and funk
are very loud, colorful genres, and
Neverwonder would do well to alter
their onstage appearance slightly to
reflect that. Additionally, it would be
nice to see Bobo more in her comfort
zone when talking to her audience
between songs. All in all, a strong
quartet who know how to deliver.
––�����
Hans ����
Fink
Hans Fink
Giant Panda
Guerilla Dub Squad
Neverwonder: A four-piece that mixes the best parts of funk and rock.
AMP NETWORK • WEEKLY BULLETIN • DAILY WEBSITE • DIGITAL EDITION • MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2010
CLUB REVIEWS
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Weber’s Place
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The Troubadour
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Bernard Baur
The Nukes
Jory Glick: Thoughtful lyrics, exceptional musicianship and a ton of heart.
"6(645r."(";*/&r%*(*5"-&%*5*0/r%"*-:8&#4*5&r8&&,-:#6--&5*/r".1/&5803,