reviewed by Gary Levinson

First class production, and catchy melodies make Sahara’s There is this place I go a very pleasant listen.

Singer/Songwriter Dave Long’s voice shines, reminding one of the Simple Mind’s Jim Kerr. In fact, the whole sound of the CD is rather similar to the 1980’s sound of that Scottish group. This is perhaps not just a coincidence, as Sahara’s members Dave and Trish Long, have been playing together since 1984; and hailing from Dublin, they also have Celtic roots.

The duo plays a variety of instruments including human voice, flageolet, guitar, sax, flute, recorder and electronic sequencing.

Their music is very melodious, and with the already mentioned super clean production, it has a contemporary sort of easy listening sound.   Somewhat different than the Simple Minds, the album has 2 rather slower numbers, with more of a folk music character.

The lyrics have a metaphysical / devotional aspect to them, with the particular motive of the songwriting on this album being “the long road to healing”.

Smooth, seamless and satisfying, Sahara’s music goes down real easy, like ice cream on a hot summer day.

reviewed by Gary Levinson
http://www.saharamusic.com.au

Some people just like more of the same. They’re comfortable with it. It’s what they know. They even think they like it. (When what they really like is not having to be confronted with anything different from what they already know.) Luckily for us, Alex Wroten is not one of these people.

His new album Not Necessarily Like This is a breath of fresh air. His sound textures (music is something less complex) are a welcome break from what can be the pablum - singing, percussion, guitars, keyboards - of formulated contemporary music.

The electronic sounds and rhythms on this album were made by Wroten on synthesizers, vintage keyboards, drums, guitars, and with some human voice (electronically treated). It immediately reminded me of Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine’s sound on Soleil cherche futur.

Further, it suggests elements of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, without the vocals; of early Pink Floyd’s Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast from their album Atom Heart Mother; and of some of the hallucinogenic material on Led Zepplin’s third album.

The only track on the album to which I took a dislike (and a strong dislike in that) was the sixth song double talk in which a modified human voice - though “robotized” - can be heard speaking quite understandable English. Why Wroten added this verbiage to a perfectly innocent sound texture is hard to understand.

In any case, if you’re tired of mainline mush, give your hearing faculty a break and listen to Not Necessarily Like This. You won’t be bored.

reviewed by Gary Levinson

http://www.AlexWroten.com

April 29, 2010 — The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce its 2009 winners. It is with great pleasure that ISC bestows its highest honor, the ISC Grand Prize, to King Charles of London, England for his song “Love Lust,” a brilliantly unique song that stretches the boundaries of contemporary rock with a sonic roller coaster ride of head-rushing, multi-layered instrumentation and vocals. This is the first time the US-based ISC has ever awarded its Grand Prize to a UK songwriter. The Grand Prize winner takes home $25,000 in cash (US) and over $20,000 in prizes, the largest Grand Prize of any songwriting competition.

Established in 2002, ISC honors amateur and professional songwriters around the world and awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes in all. With judges ranging from Tom Waits, Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, Robbie Williams, McCoy Tyner, Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Smith (The Cure) and many more (as well as seven record label Presidents), winning the ISC Grand Prize is an accomplishment that recognizes excellence in the craft of songwriting.

In its eighth year, ISC received almost 15,000 songs from amateur and professional songwriters from almost 100 countries worldwide, confirming ISC’s status as the leading global songwriting event. The New York Times called ISC, “the songwriting competition to take note of.”

For a complete list of 2009 ISC winners and to hear the winning songs, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm

The song “Love Lust” was a unanimous selection by the ISC judges. The song, entered into the Rock category, was praised by the ISC judges for its originality, ambitious and innovative arrangement, hooky melody, and poetic lyrics.

Candace Avery, the founder and director of ISC, states, “The song ‘Love Lust’ is one of the most inventive songs I’ve ever heard. It is rare that an artist comes along who is so creative, interesting, and most importantly, authentic. There is such a depth to his artistry that it seems as if the creativity just pours out of him. I am confident he has a hugely successful career ahead of him.”

King Charles only began making music seriously in 2005. Earlier as a boy, he learned the cello, sang in the school choir, and took up guitar, listening to Dylan who he says “made the world bigger for me.” After a year at University, he returned to London, without a degree, but with a new moniker, King Charles. He formed a band, Adventure Playground, and soon they were touring with artists such as Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale, and Mumford and Sons. The song, “Love Lust” is his latest single and demonstrates his keenly original artistry.
To download photos of King Charles, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/GrandPrize.htm
In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other deserving songwriters also share in the prestige and kudos of winning their respective categories in ISC 2009. These winners hail from all over the world (57% of this year’s winners come from outside the USA), representing diverse cultures and ranging from talented amateurs to seasoned songwriting veterans. The 21 categories include all genres of contemporary music, from Rock to Pop to Jazz to R&B/Hip-Hop and more. See below for a complete list of ISC 2009 winners.

Applauded for its high caliber of judges, ISC compiled a stellar panel of judges for the 2009 competition, including:

Recording Artists: Kings of Leon; Tom Waits; Journey; Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20); Timbaland; Wynonna; Jeff Beck; Loretta Lynn; McCoy Tyner; Steve Winwood; Michael W. Smith; Alejandro Sanz; Robbie Williams; Black Francis (The Pixies); Robert Smith (The Cure); Adele; James Mercer (The Shins); Jerry Lee Lewis; Jeremy Camp; Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); John Mayall; Chris Hillman (The Byrds); Youssou N’Dour; John Scofield; Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol); Ray Wylie Hubbard; Matt Thiessen (Relient K); James Cotton; Sasha;  John Digweed; Robert Earl Keen; Jeffrey Steele; Mario; Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals); Craig Morgan; DJ Tiesto; Baaba Maal; “Weird Al” Yankovic; Sandra Bernhard

Industry Executives: Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records); Seymour Stein (Chairman/CEO, Sire Records); Amanda Ghost (President, Epic Records); Ric Arboit (President, Nettwerk Music Group); James Diener (President, A&M/Octone Records); Amy Doyle (Sr. VP Music & Talent, MTV); Brian Malouf (VP A&R, Walt Disney Records); Mitchell Cohen (VP A&R, Verve Music Group); Kim Buie (VP A&R, Lost Highway); Rick Krim (Executive VP Talent & Music Programming, VH1); Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Lisa Ramsey Perkins (Sr. Director A&R, Sony Nashville); Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R, Latin America Sony/BMG); Cory Robbins (President, Robbins Entertainment); Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Douglas C. Cohn (Sr. VP Music Marketing & Talent, Nickelodeon); Dr. Demento (Radio Host, The Dr. Demento Show)

Sponsors included: Gibson, ASCAP, Berklee College Of Music, Disc Makers, D’Addario, Shure, JamHub, Thayers, FanCue, M-Audio, Onlinegigs, SongU.com, The Music Business Registry, Tanager AudioWorks, Shari’s Berries, Independent Mastering, Indie Venue Bible, George Stein, Esq., Sonicbids, Taxi, music Submit, CelebrityAccess, and Alphabet Arm Design

The complete list of ISC 2009 Winners is as follows:

Grand Prize
“Love Lust” - King Charles - London, England, UK

AAA
First Place
“Let Loose The Horses” - Adrianne Gonzalez, Gabriel Mann, Kyler England, and Rob Giles (The Rescues) - Los Angeles, CA, USA

Second Place
“The Ladder” - Andrew Belle - Nashville, TN, USA

Third Place
“Oldest Trick In The Book” - Eden Mulholland (Motocade) - Auckland, New Zealand

Honorable Mention
“Bad Bad World” -  Jessica Poland (Charlotte Sometimes) - New York, NY, USA
“Cry, Cry, Cry” - Lindsay Mac - Boston, MA, USA
“Get Over It” - Joey Avalos (Stars Go Dim) - Broken Arrow, OK, USA
“I Fell For You” - Amy Stroup - Nashville, TN, USA
“Love Is A Cruel Machine” - Ben Stewart - Brisbane, QLD, Australia
“Mary” - Alexander Burnett (Sparkadia) - Sydney, NSW, Australia
“My Girlfriend’s A Killer” - Charles D. Scott (Rock Paper Pistols) - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Same Old Ground” - Robert Kolar (Lemon Sun) - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“She Is Love” - Ginger Mackenzie, Richard Ashley Hicklin, Jeroen Swinnen - Berlin, Germany
“She Said” - Sissel Olander (Kind Of Girl) - Copenhagen, Denmark
“So Much For Amazing” - Michael Logen - Nashville, TN, USA
“The Boat” - Garth Adam - Edgecliff, NSW, Australia
“We Are Young And So Is The Night” - Gordie Sampson, Jay Smith, JT Harding - Halifax, NS,
Canada

Adult Contemporary (AC)
First Place

“Not For You” - Emma Hewitt and Anthony Hewitt (Missing Hours) - Geelong West, VIC, Australia

Second Place

“Feels Like The Future” - Essence Williams and Jeffrey Pease - San Francisco, CA, USA

Third Place

“Get You Back” - Alexander Gow and Thomas Savage (Oh Mercy) - Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Honorable Mention

“All We Need Is Love” - Dominic Balli, Mark Suhonen - Oxnard and San Diego, CA, USA
“Finally” - Sonia A. Nel-Nianell (Nianell) - Johannesburg, South Africa
“Hold On” - IVO, Jeff Coplan - Emmenbruecke, Switzerland
“Maybe Tomorrow” -  Geoffrey Maddock (Goldenhorse) - Helensville, New Zealand
“Over Again” -  Bianca West, Adam Hurstfield, Dane DeViller, Sean Hussein - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Say It Like You Mean It” - Claire Wyndham - Nashville, TN, USA
“Time Has Come” - Daniel Akio Sherwood, Aubrey Nunn, Alex Von Soos (Dan Akio) - London, England
“Tore My Heart Out” - Danielle Caruana (Mama Kin) - Fremantle, WA, Australia
“What Are We Waiting For (Ft. Tonia Hughes)” - Tim Mahoney - Minneapolis, MN, USA
“Who Wants The World” - Jerry Reid, Simon Perry - Detroit, MI, USA

Americana
First Place
“Unfaithful Heart” - Kieran Kane - Nashville, TN, USA

Second Place
“These Words” - Jill Andrews - Knoxville, TN, USA

Third Place
“Same Old Way” - Chad Elliott - Coon Rapids, IA, USA

Honorable Mention
“Bird In My House” - Kate Mann - Portland, OR, USA
“Bittersweet Grand Canyon” - Kirsten Jones - Toronto, ON, Canada
“Come What May” - Matt Joe Gow (Matt Joe Gow And The Dead Leaves) - Melbourne, VIC, Australia
“Devil Will Dance” - Jesse Terry, Eric Paslay - Nashville, TN, USA
“Heart Of Mine” - Matt Ellis - Sydney, NSW, Australia
“Jersey Whiskey” - Putnam Murdock, Tom Carlisle - South Dartmouth, MA, USA
“Memphis” - Owen Temple - Austin, TX, USA
“Mercy Or Sin” - Gordie Tentrees, Jennie Sosnowski - Whitehorse, YK, Canada
“My People Come From The Dirt” - Grant Peeples - Sopchoppy, FL, USA
“Return To Me (With Becky Lee)” - Joao Rui, Guardado Parreirao, Susana Ribeiro, Joao Ricardo Guerra Silva (a Jigsaw) - Coimbra, Portugal
“Richmond” - Liam Grundy - Twickenham, England
“The Bastard And The Tramp” - Maika Makovski - Barcelona, Spain
“When It Falls Apart” - Barzin Hosseini-Rad (Barzin) - Toronto, ON, Canada

Blues
First Place
“Sometimes I Think I Can Fly” - Suzie Vinnick and Dan Kershaw - Toronto, ON, Canada

Second Place
“Time Is Now” - Jason Ferguson - Omaha, NE, USA

Third Place
“Can’t Get Enough Of You” - Darren Watson - Wellington, New Zealand

Honorable Mention
“Bucket Of Blues” - Sonia Rutstein (SONiA /disappear fear) - Baltimore, MD, USA
“Crack In The Pavement” - Dale Boyle - Montreal, QC, Canada
“Give Some” - Lene Stroyer, Andre Sorensen (Mama’s Blues Joint) - Vaerlose, Denmark
“He Don’t Love You” - Darren Watson - Wellington, New Zealand
“Let’s Get Hammered” - Chris Codish, Bob Codish (The Brothers Groove) - Detroit, MI, USA
“Moody Liz” - Daxton P Monagahn (Daxton) - Sydney, NSW, Australia
“St. Michael Vs. The Devil” - Davina Marie Sowers (Davina And The Vagabonds) - St.Paul, MN, USA
“Still In Love” - Pete Anderson - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“The Way That I Love You” - Jack de Keyzer - Whitby, ON, Canada
“Trouble ” - Alannah Myles, Gary Nicholson, Marshall Chapman (Alannah Myles) - Toronto, ON, Canada
“Yellow Moon” - 8 Ball Aitken - Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Children’s Music
First Place
“The Conductor” - Jon Samson - Brooklyn, NY, USA

Second Place
“Big Troubles For Little Red” - Andrew Queen - Campbellford, ON, Canada

Third Place
“The Goat And The Goose” - Nadia Sunde - Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Honorable Mention
“Anywhere We Want” - Jon Samson (CoCreative Music) - Brooklyn, NY, USA
“Bug In Your Ear” - Mai Cocopelli - Regau, Austria
“Cock A Diddle Doo” - Craig Jacks - Santa Barbara, CA, USA
“Eggs” - Dinah Desrochers, Christina Jones, Gordon Howard, Tammy Hudgeon (The Kerplunks) - Gabriola Island, BC, Canada
“Happy Pants” - Jeff Eisenberg (Junior Jam) - Somerset, NJ, USA
“I Am Special” - Andre Osbourne Adman - Kingston, Jamaica
“My Room’s A Mess!” - Marla Lewis - Wantagh, NY, USA
“Nothing Rhymes With Orange” - Jon Samson (CoCreative Music) - Brooklyn, NY, USA
“The Wheels On The Bus They Don’t Go Round” - Levity Beet - Otaki, New Zealand
“Wash Your Hands” - Bill Harley - Seekonk, MA, USA

Comedy/Novelty
First Place
“Toast” - Heywood Banks - Howell, MI, USA

Second Place
“Holy Shit, It’s Christmas!” - Douglas Stevens (Red Peters), Edward Grenga, Art Johnson, Charles “Kook” Lawry - Milton, MA, USA

Third Place
“First Date” - Pat Godwin, Tom Griswold, Steve Allee - Fishers, IN, USA

Honorable Mention
“1985″ - Russell Berther, John Chaplin-Fleming (Scared Weird Little Guys) - Melbourne, VIC, Australia
“Colostomy Bag” - Colin Germano (Col Meredith) - Noosa Heads, QLD, Australia
“Connoisseur Of Girl TV” - Bob Ricci - Coventry, RI, USA
“Drugs Make Me Happy” - Matt Bunsen (Matt Bunsen And The Burners) - Studio City, CA, USA
“Gangsta Folk” - Pat Godwin - Fishers, IN, USA
“Give A Hoot” - Andy Allen - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
“I Bagged A Tiger” - M. Spaff Sumsion - Bountiful, UT, USA
“I Got A Girlfriend” - Daniel Alvaro (D.B. Reilly) - Syracuse, NY, USA
“Same Sex Marriage” - Marc Bridge (Sonic Bridge) - Westborough, MA, USA
“Sausage” - George Christopher Wilson (Lazyhand) - Edinburgh, Scotland
“Sugar Town (Ft. Clinton Sparks)” - Ryan Funk (Catskill) - Winnipeg, MB, Canada
“When I Jerk Off, I Think Of You” - Douglas Stevens (Red Peters), Edward Grenga, Art Johnson, Charles “Kook” Lawry - Milton, MA, USA
“Working Where The Sun Don’t Shine (The Colorectal Surgeon’s Song)” - George Bowser, Rick Elger (Bowser And Blue) - Westmount East, QC, Canada

Country
First Place
“Do You Take” - Heather Morgan, Ross Copperman - Nashville, TN, USA

Second Place
“I Love This Place” - Troy Cassar-Daley - Bulimba, QLD, Australia

Third Place
“Workin’ On The World” - Keith Hinton, Alan O’Day - Nashville, TN, USA

Honorable Mention
“Another Wanna Be” - Brittany McDonald, Jeremy Johnson - Nashville, TN, USA
“Could Be” - Steven Charles Strobel, Bill Maier - Franklin, TN, USA
“Don’t Come Over ‘Til I’m Over You” - Andrew Cochrane, Simon Boyce - Mackenzie, QLD, Australia
“Give Me A Ring” - Jolene Keats, Sharlene Loveless, Jaylene Johnson, Chris Burke Gaffney (The Keats) - Gambo, NL, Canada
“I Can’t Make You Fall” - Sherri Gough - Nashville, TN, USA
“It’s Just Money” - Jess Tardy, Casey Beathard - Boston, MA, USA
“It’s What I Do” - Keith Hinton, Brett Cartwright - Nashville, TN, USA
“Revealing Pictures” - Bob McCormick, Bill Flowerree, Ken Scott - West Chester, PA, USA
“Saving Savannah” - Rick Huckaby, Michael White - Nashville, TN, USA
“Slowly Killing Me” - Sonia A.Nel-Nianell (Nianell) - Johannesburg, South Africa
“Taken Man” - Jo Clark, Steven Strobel - Nashville, TN, USA

Dance/Electronica
First Place
“My Love” - Jes Brieden (JES), Johan Gielen - New York, NY, USA and The Netherlands

Second Place
“A Secret Search” - Bruno Miguel Pereira Pinto (:papercutz)  - Vila do Conde, Portugal

Third Place
“Drop Ya Guard” - Candice Butler and Christopher Coe (Metals) - Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Honorable Mention
“A Night With You” - Chris Qualls (Electric Valentine) - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Android Mia” - Kaspar Torn - Tallinn, Estonia
“Breath” - Fred Dimola, Alex Doyen, Yanelle Dugar (Exalter) - Beaufays, Belgium
“Fake Superstars” - John Donovan (Johnny Hooke) - Jaboatao dos Guararapes, Brazil “Hypnotized” - Jake Chec, Sy Sylver - Etobicoke, ON, Canada
“I Like Girlz” - Leonie Polley (DiamondTrick) - Geelong, VIC, Australia
“I Love My Chains” - Clement Dorval (Krystal System) - Paris, France
“Make My Body Rock” - Ari Gold, Michael Colin - New York, NY, USA
“Vivacity” - John Malik - London, ON, Canada

Folk/Singer-Songwriter
First Place
“Bird On A Wire” - Sarah Blasko - Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia

Second Place
“Windmills” - Nicola Watson - Hotham, VIC, Australia

Third Place
“Pop Them Pills” - Keith Forde - Limerick, Ireland

Honorable Mention
“All The Letters” - Helen Austin - Comox Valley, BC, Canada
“Choose Love” - Rita Redshoes - Lisboa, Portugal
“Dreams And Country Lanes” - Russell Joslin - London, England
“Feel Like Walking” - Sam Buckingham - Sydney, NSW, Australia
“Got To Be More” - Korby Lenker, Megan McCormick - Seattle, WA, USA
“Ivory Road” - King Charles - London, England
“Join The Chorus” - Miriam Clancy - Auckland, New Zealand
“Kiss My Rainy Day Away” - Jenn Bostic, Charlie Hutto - Nashville, TN, USA
“Leap Of Faith” - Jeffrey Wharen, Michael Beach, Thomas McCarthy (No Second Troy) - Washington DC, USA
“Morning Sun” -  Shayna Zaid, Joel Dean, Christopher Heinz, Yan Lzquierdo (Shayna Zaid and The Catch) - New York, NY, USA
“Rough Diamonds” - Tobias ben Jacob - London, England
“Sword In The Stone” - Aras - Santa Monica, CA, USA
“The Teapot Song” - Archie Gillis - Halifax, NS, Canada

Gospel/Christian
First Place
“Good Company” - Joseph Pfeifer - San Diego, CA, USA

Second Place
“My Testimony” - Angel Higgs (Temetya) - Knoxville, TN, USA

Third Place
“You Are” - Dan Bremnes - Salmon Arm, BC, Canada

Honorable Mention
“40 Years” - Matthew Seagle (LivingAnthem) - Stuart, FL, USA
“Abel” - Chase Thompson (Chase And The Reach) - Pasco, WA, USA
“Every Time” - Tom Poulter, Angela Cox - Shellharbour, NSW, Australia
“Footsteps Of My Father” - Roma Waterman - Melbourne, VIC, Australia
“Get It Right” - Isaac Nelson, Ryan Edberg (Silverline) - Brainerd, MN, USA
“I Still Need The Fire” - Amanda Stott, Dustin Burnett - Manitoba, Canada
“One Day” - Shelly E. Johnson, Jayme Thompson - Franklin, TN, USA
“Only One” - Blair Stephen Lane, Peter Daniel Newman - Roberts, NL, Canada
“Overflow” - Sarah Walker - Toronto, ON, Canada
“Send Me An Angel” - Adam Klutinoty (About A Mile) - Butler, PA, USA
“The City And The Salt” - Hannah Miller - Columbia, SC, USA
“Whatever It Is” - Gail Holmes, Ashley Hicks - Jacksonville, FL, USA
“Without You” - Jonathan Lee Karklins (Long Road South) - Whangarei, New Zealand

Instrumental
First Place
“Yalla Yalla!” - Chirs McKhool, Kevin Laliberte (Sultans Of String)
- Toronto, ON, Canada

Second Place
“Sand Storm” - Marcela Taylor - Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Third Place
“Trail Of The Butterfly” - Rohan Shah - Mumbai, India

Honorable Mention
“A Song For Daniel” - Samantha Robichaud - Riverview, NB, Canada
“Bajo El Sol” - Russ Hewitt - Dallas, TX, USA
“Dare Devil” - Bernard Falaise, Pascal Globensky, Remi Leclerc, Nicolas Masino (Miriodor) - Montreal, QC, Canada
“Dirt To Dust” - Richard Gilewitz - Inverness, FL, USA
“Electric Gigue” - Quinten Hope - The Colony, TX, USA
“Fantasia” - Eamonn McElevey - Belfast, Northern Ireland
“Glassiana” - Pedro Ariel Meirelles - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
“Hora Fantasia” - Jozsef Terek - Hevizgyork, Hungary
“Icarus’ Last Temptation” - Lennart Jensen - Stockholm, Sweden
“John And Edna” - Brian Kobayakawa (The Creaking Tree String Quartet) - Toronto, ON, Canada
“Phantom Energy” - Nick Kadajski (Nick Kadajski’s 5 Point Perspective) - Brooklyn, NY, USA
“Rahat-Lukum” - Natalia Pikoul, Marina Pikoul (Pikoul Sisters) - Sao Joao da Madeira, Portugal

Jazz
First Place
“The Devil’s Ring Tone” - Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts - Brooklyn, NY, USA

Second Place
“One Of Those Nights” - Matt Cusson - Lenox, MA, USA

Third Place
“Unfolding Universe” - Hitomi Nishiyama - Tokyo, Japan

Honorable Mention
“From Dusk ‘Til Dawn” - Abram Wilson - London, England
“Minsk” - Mark Isaacs - Bonnet Bay, NSW, Australia
“No Full Service” - Ondrej Pivec - Prague, Czech Republic
“Samsara (First Movement from Kanishka Suite)” - Sundar Viswanathan - Brampton, ON, Canada
“Scatt” - Oscar Schulze - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“Sunset” - Boo Hewerdine - Ely, England
“The Stroppy” - Peter Sarik - Budapest, Hungary
“Theme Song” - Edgar Van Asselt - The Netherlands
“We Would” - Jeanette Lindstrom - Stockholm, Sweden
“Whisper” - Paul Sullivan - Sedgwick, ME, USA

Latin
First Place
“A Donde Iran Las Penas” - Juliana Barrios - Miami Beach, FL, USA

Second Place
“Latidos” - Veronica Romeo - Los Angeles, CA, USA

Third Place
“Morir Contigo” - Javier Lara - Santa Tecia, El Salvador

Honorable Mention
“Abre Las Puertas De Tu Corazon” - Avelino Garcia Perez (Avelino) - Barcelona, Spain
“Altanera” - Enrique Suarez (Orquesta De Las Sombras) - Madrid, Spain
“Antes De Que Hables” - Olga Rossano - Madrid, Spain
“Como Duele” - Daniel Jacome Rosenfeld (Tercer Mundo) - Quito, Ecuador
“Confieso” - Cristal Marie - Miami, FL, USA
“Dame” - Raquel Sofia Borges (Raquel Sofia) - Miami Beach, FL, USA
“Dirty Liar” - Santiago Garvi Ruiz, Pedro Mayor Vazquez, Andres De Marco, Hatuey Gonzalez Pulido, Javier Garcia Olmedillas (Bitter Mambo) - Parla, Madrid, Spain
“Eres Mi Vida” - Fabrizio Ugolini, Massimo Bozzi, Fabrizio Grossi, Francis Benitez (Fab Box) - Pesaro, Italy
“Estupida” - Nana Rizinni, Giovanna Velasco - Sao Paulo, Brazil
“Sin Bling Bling” - El Tarot - San Juan, Puerto Rico
“Te Quiero” - Thalia Condo - Salt Lake City, UT, USA
“Ven Conmigo” - Zoel Daschuta (Zoel) - North Bay Village, FL, USA
“Yo Quiero” - Mario Maisonnave - Los Angeles, CA, USA

Lyrics Only
First Place
“Second Hand Love” - Jen Foster - Houston, TX, USA

Second Place
“You And I” - Kyler England - Los Angeles, CA, USA

Third Place
“Where I’m Calling From” - Cam Mackellar - Killcare, NSW, Australia

Honorable Mention
“Break You” - Shantal Reich ?Äì San Diego, CA, USA
“Demons In My Head” - Bryan Tess - Kerry, Ireland
“Love Is A Wrecking Ball” - Queen Esther - New York, NY, USA
“My Father’s Son” - Dave Tutin - Santa Fe, NM, USA
“Old Colt 45″ - Harrison Hais - Gisborne, New Zealand
“Old Forgotten Barn” - Paul Armstrong - Chicago, IL, USA
“Somehow” - Zubi d’Nova - Nairobi, Kenya
“Song Out Of Time” - Paul Harper - London, England
“Tom Waits” - Curt Hahn - Soldotna, AK, USA

Music Video
First Place
“Them Kids” - Sam Roberts, Directed by Dave Pawsey - Montreal, QC, Canada

Second Place
“Push Me To The Floor” - Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones) and Nic Olsen,
Directed by Jolyon Ellis and Francis Gavin - Johannesburg, South Africa

Third Place
“We Got Time” - Moray McLaren, Directed by David Wilson - London, England

Honorable Mention
“Close Your Eyes” - Justin Hewitt, Directed by Jeremy Lutter - Victoria, BC, Canada
“Detroit ‘67″ - Sam Roberts, Directed by Dave Pawsey - Montreal, QC, Canada
“Life Design” - Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones), Directed by Erik van Wyk - Johannesburg, South Africa
“Needing You” - Stephen Murray, Matt Martin, Patrick Leslie, Ross Montsinger, Hank Widmer,  Mike O’Malley (Holy Ghost Tent Revival), Directed by Gene M. Smith - Greensboro, NC, USA
“Parallel Me” - TQR (Ft. Hadar Green) Tal More, Directed by Yaniv Shmeltzer & Rivka Press - Rehovot, Israel
“Razoreyes” - Nathan Smith, Andrew Averso, Matt Perez, Stephen Bailey, Luke Hickok (Elevation), Directed by Chuck Moore - Atlanta, GA, USA
“Solid Rock (Street Warriors Version)” - Shane Howard, Abie Wright, Warwick Wright (Street Warriors), Directed by Matthew Chuang - Greenacre, NSW, Australia
“Take The Lead” - Mihai Ogasanu, Loredana Sachelaru (Xonia), Directed by Mihai Ogasanu - Bucharest, Romania
“Toy Soldier” - Trent Hancock, Directed by JJ Moffatt - Brooklyn, NY, USA

Performance
First Place
“Never Really Cried” - Simon Fagan - Dublin, Ireland

Second Place
“I Want It All” - Ben Mallott - Austin, TX, USA

Third Place
“Lovers And Fools” - Korby Lenker - Seattle, WA, USA

Honorable Mention
“Can’t Stand The Rain” - Adrianne Gonzalez, Gabriel Mann, Kyler England, Rob Giles (The Rescues) - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Howl” - Jai Pyne, Xavier Naughton, Ivan Lisyak (The Paper Scissors) - Sydney, NSW, Australia
“Lovelorn” - Chris Sytnyk, Alison Maclean, Chris Iannnou (Calling Wendy) - Toronto, ON, Canada
“Polka” - Michael Tomlinson (Yves Klein Blue) - Brisbane, QLD, Australia
“Real Bad News” - Thomas Edwards, Joel Saint John (The Spectaculars) - Minneapolis, MN, USA
“Seen Her b4″ - Mason Rachinger - Palm Beach, QLD, Australia
“Still Crying” - Essence Williams (Essence) - San Francisco, CA, USA
“The Good News” - Simon Berckelman, Joel Beeson (Philadelphia Grand Jury) - Strawberry Hills, NSW, Australia
“Thieves And Their Hands” - Rachael Cantu - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Through & Through & Through” - Joel Plaskett - Halifax, NL, Canada
“Time Of Eternity” - King Charles - London, England
“Under One Sky” - Paul Desmond Fitzgerald (Parismatic) - Ivry Sur Seine, France

Pop/Top 40
First Place
“Pasha Bulker” - Kevin Mitchell (Bob Evans) - Fitzroy, VIC, Australia

Second Place
“All We Need Is Love” - Dominic Balli, Mark Suhonen - Oxnard, CA and San Diego, CA, USA

Third Place
“This Heart Attack” - Nathan Hudson (Faker) - Sydney, NSW, Australia

Honorable Mention
“Beautiful Fall” - Brenda Rowe (Miss Benny), Marc Buset (Cars Cash Baby) - Paris, France
“California Calling” - David Jonelis - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Falling Star ” -Jaylene Johnson, Link Tipton - Winnipeg, MB, Canada
“Hurry Up California” - Calvin Lechner, Simon Nagel (Sunset Main) - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Look Where You’re Walkin’” - Kane Churko (Modern Science) Las Vegas, NV, USA
“Now I Don’t” - Ma’ayan Castel, Leo Mellace - Boston, MA, USA
“Small Town Girl” - Andy Bull - Sydney, NSW, Australia
“Sweet Release” - Hannah Curwood - Arch Hill, New Zealand
“Take The Lead” - Mihai Ogasanu, Loredana Sachelaru (Xonia) - Bucharest, Romania
“The Right Time” - Charlie Bailey (Chasing Bailey) - Waverton, NSW, Australia
“You’re So Pony” - Beth Thornley, Rob Cairns - Los Angeles, CA, USA

R&B/Hip-Hop
First Place
“My Life” - Ray Clayton (Ray)  - London, England

Second Place
“In A Minute” - Tea Petrovic (Tea), Dane Deviller, and Krischan Grohne - Vancouver, BC, Canada

Third Place
“Walk Right Up” - Karoline Tamati, Brent Park (Ladi6) - Christchurch, New Zealand

Honorable Mention
“10.31″ - Ramon Robinson (Absoloot) - N. Lauderdale, FL, USA
“All The Love That I Wasted (Cakeface Remix)” - Ivan Ives - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“AYO’s Honestly Remix (Ft. Kris Searle)” - Kris Searle, AYO - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Be Your Lady” - Margot Bingham - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
“Head Right” - Khiry Day, Anthony Beck (Men Of Business/M.O.B) - Indianapolis, IN, USA
“Kanye” - Ryan Funk (Catskill) - Winnipeg, MB, Canada
“Life” - Ricardo W. Forbes, Terneille Burrows - Nassau, Bahamas
“Look To The Skies” - Ryan Ritchie (True Live) - Dingley, VIC, Australia
“Mile High” - John Oplinger - Sinima Queens, NY, USA
“Objectify” - Candice Anitra - Brooklyn, NY, USA
“Qualified” - Ashleigh Eymann - Vancouver, BC, Canada
“Rain ” -Matt Palmer - New York, NY, USA
“We Won’t Die” - Dwayne Bell, Nathaniel Douglas, Kweku Kingnabi, Terrance Sharrock (Liberated Peoples Foundation) - Langley Park, MD, USA

Rock
First Place
“White Noise” - Chris Cheney (The Living End) - Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Second Place
“Fifth Tambourine” - Nate Cole, Gabe Combs, Liska Cole, Coury Combs, Joel Plotnik, and Brandon Schwartzel (Castledoor) - Terrebonne, QC, Canada

Third Place
“Foreign Land” - Kavvyen Temperley, Stuart MacLeod, Joel Quartermain (Eskimo Joe), and Steve Parkin - Perth, WA, Australia

Honorable Mention
Atlantico” - Cesar Sanchez Padros, Jesus Trujillo Delgado, Javier Planelles Hidalgo, Jose Luis Paramio Martinez (Eldorado) - Madrid, Spain
“Brightstar” - Chris Snyder, Pete Connors, Joe Stroll (The States) - Brooklyn, NY, USA
“Chin Up” - Nicholas Green, Michael Sullivan, Peter Carter (Heartbreak Club) - Sydney, NSW, Australia
“Congratulate Our Thievery” - Robert Kolar (Lemon Sun) - Los Angeles, CA, USA
“I Am” - Bogdan Bogdanov (Ollie) - Sofia, Bulgaria
“Joseph” - Joseph Andrew Thomson, Kahl Wallace, Charles Thomas, Jhindu Lawrie (The Medics) - Cairns, QLD, Australia
“Life Design” - Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones) - Johannesburg, South Africa
“Light Up The Night” - Bryan Decataldo (Chasing Fireflies) - Lanoka Harbor, NJ, USA
“One Will Hear The Other” - Jon Toogood (Shihad) - Melbourne, VIC, Australia
“Push Away” - Carah Faye, Daniel Johansson (Versant) - Gothenburg, Sweden
“Social Currency” - John Mackay (Children Collide) - Melbourne, VIC, Australia
“With This Ship” - Walter De Backer, Kristen-Jurgen Schroeder (The Basics) - Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Teen
First Place
“Pretend” - Victoria Leone (Age 16) - Scarborough, ON, Canada

Second Place
“I Know Better” - Miranda Vettrus (Age 15) - Salem, OR, USA

Third Place
“Skinny” - Ariana Smith (Age 17) - Hamilton, New Zealand

Honorable Mention
“Bad With Love” - Tommaso Parisi (Tom Ugly) - Sydney, NSW, Australia
“City” = Andrew James Redford - Maroochydore, QLD, Australia
“Cloud 9″ - Beau Bastian, Matt Weiss (The Lost Boys) - Lakeport, CA, USA
“Crimson Sunset” - Jordan Ferreira, Mike Avakian, Tyler Hudson (Mindwalk Blvd) - Wilmington, MA, USA
“Crush Rush” - Daphne Blunt - Overland Park, KS, USA
“Dream” - Sam Griffin-Ortiz - Salinas, CA, USA
“Gone” - Sarah Solovay - New York, NY, USA
“I Was ‘J/K LOL’” - Khristiana ‘Tia P.’ Parchman - Inglewood, CA, USA
“Keep Shining Down” - Grant Austin Taylor - Norfolk, VA, USA
“Number Nine” - Christian Anderson (Number Nine) - Bound Brook, NJ, USA
“Reaching To The Moon” - Julia Kay - Manhattan, IL, USA
“Welcome Home (Boston)” - Matt Savage - Francestown, NH, USA
“White House” - Rachael Schroeder - Calgary, AB, Canada

World Music
First Place
“Baba Yetu (Featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir)” - Christopher Tin - Santa Monica, CA, USA

Second Place
“Ao Seu Lugar” - Joaquim Crestejo (Mariaria) - Lisbon, Portugal

Third Place

“Easter Bazar or Mister Bebe” - Svetlana Aleksanyan (Svetlana) - Yerevan, Armenia

Honorable Mention
“Blue Eyes” - Loran Romain (Mao Otayeck) - Santa Clarita, CA, USA
“Inta Chayati” - Dikla, Charlie Sabach, Ran Bagno (Mabrouk) - Tel Aviv, Israel
“It’s Not My Fault” - Alex Kajumulo - Bukoba, Tanzania
“Karanga” - Malcolm Smith, Taisha (Aonua) - North Shore City, New Zealand
“Lion” - Kees Dieffenthaller, Derek Bramble (Kes The Band) - Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
“My Name Is Oumou” - Magdelena Thora Stern (Leni Stern) - New York, NY, USA
“Nakato” - Joel Sebunjo - Kampala, Uganda
“Olympia” - Yiannis Kapoulas - Hamilton, ON, Canada
“Rustem” - Anatolie Stefanet (Trigon) - Chisinau, Moldova
“Salala” - Kinobe Herbert (Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa) - Kampala, Uganda
“Toilata” - Leye Felicite Tchaco (Fely Tchaco) - Ivory Coast
“When I Open Up My Door” - Levan Khubulava (Buddhuza) - Tbilisi, Georgia

People’s Voice 2009 Winner
“Bug In Your Ear” - Mai Cocopelli - Regau, Austria

The Peoples’ Voice is an online voting that is open to the public, and 50,000 votes were received in total. The winner receiving the most votes is the Peoples’ Voice winner.

John Walker

Dancing in the Evil City

reviewed by Gary Levinson

Much music these days is made on the lowest-common-denominator principle; that is to say it simply strives to be a 3:09 minute long catchy song. To produce a complete album turns out to be rather something from the last century.  Especially an album with an unusual depth that invites - almost demands - repeated listening to explore its substance is rare indeed.  John Walker’s latest album Dancing in the Evil City is such an album.

John Walker is a 21st century troubadour, whose singing reminds one of Brian Ferry from Roxy Music, or perhaps Chris de Burgh in his story telling style.

This album is a concept album, based around the city of Glasgow in Scotland.  The lyrics recall events that happen in this largest city of Scotland, and form a dramatic tale, telling us things about Glasgow that we would never have suspected.

The music does indeed sound feudal, but from a manor house of our time.  At times it reminded me of the Beatles, at others, it is completely unique and contemporary.

My favorite bits were Glasgow‘s some place, Dancing in the Evil City, City of Towers, and Watching all the people.

With Dancing in the Evil City, John Walker has demonstrated a deepening of his artistic talent, representing a significant aesthetic achievement.

reviewed by Gary Levinson

http://www.emusic.com/album/11837/11837624.html

Bernie is really noisy, in a quiet kind of way. He is a sonic deep diver whose deep-sound plunges and sound-bed wanderings create rhythms and patterns that are intricate, interesting, and catchy.

The opening song on the album, Legend of the Mythical Man-month, is Federal Funk, and begins with a radio transmission of Richard Nixon declaring his non-crookedness. This reminds one immediately of Ron Howard’s film, Frost/Nixon. If this film was the source of inspiration for this number is unknown, but most listeners jaws will drop when Nixon states so earnestly: “I have never profited from public service”.

“Trying hard to live my life my way…” Ah, aren’t we all. Rut is my favorite track on the album, but they’re all good, and demonstrate a variety that is refreshing in this day of successful-recipe-songs.

Bernie creates soundscapes with a variety of textures. This album, the culmination of 5 years of studio work was is an inspired mix of jazz, blues, Pink Floyd, rockabilly, recording, playing and mixing all thrown together (look back at that opening sentence).

I really like it.

I don’t think you’ll hear Bernie on the radio, but the best art never is, and Bernie is great art. If you’re interested in hearing what sound, electronics, and talent can produce, Bernie is definitely worth a listen.

Reviewed by Gary Levinson

http://cobzilla.com

Sponsors of the 15th Annual Competition are: Guitar Player Magazine, New Music Weekly, Sony, Audio-Technica, Ibanez Guitars, D’Addario Strings, Mackie, Presonus, Imageline Software, Acoustica, Sonoma Wireworks, Intellitouch Tuners, SongFrame Software, Rockstar Texting, Acoustic Café Radio Program, Livewire Contacts, AirplayAccess.com, Loggins Promotion, Superdups.com, Sirius XM Radio, Sonicbids & Broadjam.

Please obtain the entry form at:
http://www.songwriting.net/entryform.html

Or enter online here with your MP3:
https://online.songwriting.net

Or via Sonicbids:
http://www.sonicbids.com/usasong

Or via Broadjam:
http://www.broadjam.com/contests/details/contest/index.php?contest_id=2032

Not since Dada Veda Nr. 2 first five tracks has Dada Veda given us a so compelling, so persuasive performance. Standing there like a 21^st century Bob Dylan (except of course for his orange monk’s uniform), Dada Veda produces outstanding renditions of ten of his latest songs.

This DVD, a video recording of his Love is the Best! album release performance from August 6^th, 2009, was filmed at a New York night club. Dada Veda’s live recordings have an authentic, convincing quality that is perhaps a bit more evasive on his smoother, slicker studio work.

With his furrowed brow, and the harmonica hanging around his neck, he introduces his songs in an affable, understanding way, giving us increased insight into their composition.

Among my favorite tracks from this DVD are We are never alone or helpless, From zero to hero, Liberate your mind, and I’m waiting for that time. The audience plays their part by giving Dada Veda a warm reception and with their participation really bring the title song Love is the best! to life.

Seeing and hearing Dada Veda’s progress over the years is really inspiring. It is a testament to the ability of people in general, and specifically of Dada Veda in particular, to grow and develop with time and the exercise of one’s métier. This DVD - perhaps, Dada Veda’s best ever - is outstanding. Bravo, Dada!

Reviewed by Gary Levinson

http://www.DadaVeda.com

Twenty years ago the hermetically sealed Berlin Wall burst open. The Wall’s fall is celebrated in the recent album from JAX, We Are The People. IndieMusicReview.NET’s Gary Levinson spoke with JAX’s Andy T.

Gary Levinson: Andy, first can you tell us your memories of what you were doing and how you felt when you heard The Wall was open?

Andy T.:

I was in Berlin-Kreuzberg, where I had lived for a very long time. When I heard of the opening on the morning of the 10th of November 1989, I went to Brandenburg Gate and after that to Checkpoint Charlie to stand there together with a hell lot of others. There, we banged on the roofs of the Trabis [Trabi is short for Trabant, a popular East German car], that came in to West-Berlin. I was very excited, because really no one ever thought that the wall would come down. The wall was a kind of normality for every West-Berliner.

GL: How did the project get started, and how were you motivated to get involved with this project?

AT: The first idea for the song rose up immediately after the change in 1989. Those days I was already making music in Kreuzberg, which was a very special place for musicians and artist from everywhere. I was doing gigs and sessions and spending some time in the studio. When I read in the German magazine “Der Spiegel” in November 1989, that the wall came down after 10315 days, I liked the special number and connected it with a good groove, We were jamming on in those days. At first I had the English verse “After 10315 days, history walls away…” But in 1989 and later on I did not have the opportunity to produce this. I would shortly be taking my first examination in law at the university and my life took me a different way, away from music.

This year I met my old friend Marcus Waibel and we had the idea to take the song and add to it, what had happened since then (ie: the financial crisis) to celebrate 20th anniversary of the Wall falling down, with a critical eye on today. We knew each other since the late 1980’s and had had good sessions in Kreuzberg back then. We composed and texted the song in German and English together and recorded it at Marcus’ Studio in Dreilinden, which was a high-security zone during the cold war, as an additional funny aspect. Marcus has his own label (WW-Records) and is a very good producer and a very good friend. He brought the singer Marnie and me together.

GL: It must have been difficult to find funding?

AT: We financed the project on our own.

GL: I notice that there is really an expert level of mixing on your synth / keyboard tracks. Whoever made them must have had many years experience….

AT: Marcus is a very good musician and producer and has a lot experience in the studio and even in producing film and TV for the German station Deutsche Welle. I have studio experience, as well.

GL: The music has a club sound to it. Do you know if in fact it’s been played here in clubs in Berlin? And if not, don’t you think it would be a good idea?

AT: We send a CD to Berghain and Tresor for example before the official date of the 9th of November this year. But I don’t know whether they played it. They never answered. If you do the PR as an indie project for your music on your own, it is very hard to get somebody’s interest, media or anyone and especially if you do a kind of ambivalent project like we did.

When we started with a press-briefing in July 2009, at our digital release with freibank recordings, we really informed every German newspaper, TV-Station, radio station and so on. Later on, we joined the mpn (music promotion network) and did a lot on our own, but interest in our project was very hard to find.

As an indie project or band you have to help yourself because you cannot afford PR-Agencies and Radio-PR and things like that. And there is normally no one who helps you for nothing. I mean, what you normally hear on the radio is only a very small part of the real music world that exists, isn’t it? Its pushed by big labels, with big advert budgets, who buy for their own products ratings in the charts and things. If you as an indie musician send a radio station something to play of you, normally they never do, because they do not get any money from you.
The worst of all is, that now some of our most clicked music-videos on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/jaxmusik) are being blocked by Warner music group. They are saying that this is their content. I think this is because they are one of the distributors. I’m trying to get more information about this, because no one tells you really what is going on. Even GEMA (German copyright collecting agency) normally does this, because they want to get money from youtube, says that they are using the videos commercially by showing adverts. Sometimes greedy lawyers try to tell you off, because you play your own music. For newcomers and indie musicians youtube is one of the most important “spread-out” media channels. It seems as if everything goes against you, if you try to go your own way. A big rip off. It makes me very angry. Next year we will realize a really cool website for artists that wanna go their own way.

GL: The lyrics seem to include the message that people are in charge of their own destiny. Would you like to comment?

AT: The Fall of the Wall in Berlin was a lighthouse of freedom for the Germans and the whole world later on. After the history of 20th century of Germany - leading to 2 world wars and the absolute moral down-coming in killing more than 6 million Jews - the extremely good moment of the peaceful revolution in 1989, by East German people going on the street was so wonderful and so important.

How could the demonstrators really know, whether it would happen the same to them, as it did on Tienanmen square just some months ago? These people were so courageous. Of course, they didn’t do it just on their own. Beginning with the Polish solidarnosc and the Polish pope and Gorbachev’s perestroika a lot of things led to this special situation. But the result and the thing to remember is “Don’t lose hope. Fight for your rights. You are strong if you go with others together. You are the people to decide. Don’t let a political and commercial might decide the different matters important to your life. ”

This is the democratic essence, away from a lot of lies and hedonistic PR and marketing standards which are used everywhere. The shout “We are the people” is the most mighty call that shows the wish and need of normal people to decide their lives on their own. Not to be just a number and economic client to buy things and be uncritically happy by doing that. No government and industrial or commercial might likes the people going on the street shouting “We are the people, we want to decide”. This is the ambivalent and funny thing with the memory of 1989. The official view tries very hardly to prevent saying that 1989 was a peaceful AND successful revolution. And comparing to other revolutions it was in fact the most peaceful one. But the powers-that-be don’t want this conclusion to get fixed in the head of the people.

A lot of things coming after the Fall of the Wall were good, like the freedom for the greatest part of the former East block countries and the rising of democratic rights for more people. But the bad side of the medal was the extreme greedy capitalism and cold neo-con thinking, as a result of the no-concurrence-situation of the capitalistic system, “end of history” and all that stuff lead us directly to the todays world, economic crisis and the neo-con way of minimizing social standards as far as possible. Their opinion, that human being should change into walking credit-cards and all around consumers. You’re only a good citizen, if you buy and consume and this is all? Climate change is also a result of that greed.

The Fall of the Wall and the actual economic crisis are the two culminating points of an epoch, that goes to an end. We cannot solve all problems only by growing economically. It simply does not work. You cannot eat money, you cannot drink money. Its just a change, not God-given. If our nature and our planet is destroyed, in order to have the most amount of any toys, cars, money, this does not help us breathing and living. We must change our way of living and thinking. Nothing in the whole universe grows endlessly.

The existence of the whole human race is in danger by the economic and climate crisis and it needs a new way of critical thinking and changing things.

GL: There are Chinese and Farsi versions of the song. How do you see these relating to the fall of The Wall?

AT: The fundamental idea of making different versions of our song, in a crossover project, is meant as a musical and cultural bridge and platform of interpretation for the ideas of the Wall falling, freedom and democracy by more artists from different musical styles and cultures. When the fall of the Wall brought freedom, our song and project should symbolize this also. So we could try to bring cultures and styles together, who does not seem to fit in the beginning, under the light of freedom.

We sent the musical tracks over the Internet to some international artists we know in Berlin. They did their interpretations and sent it back to us. We did the end mix and I think this was one of the most thrilling way to produce this crossover sampler. To get the outtakes back and to listen what the others done to it was so exciting and it felt so good in the end. I see this as a new way to work musically together in our digital world.

The Chinese version was a private idea, because I have a deep personal connection and respect to the Chinese culture and people. I found the wonderful singer Lin He and He Bo by advertising at the Berlin artists’ university. Lin He changed the lyric into a wonderful love song about being reunited after a very long time of being divided by a wall. I really love this version so much.

When we produced the songs in the studio, the news and pictures showed the demonstrating youth in Iran. We thought, wow, this is like a déjavu to the German change in 1989! Peaceful revolution with the starting point of cheated elections. In 1989 it also started with the obviously cheated communal elections in the spring. And who ever thought, that Iranian people would be so courageous as to go against their brutal regime? In our opinion it is really a shame, that the hopeful Iranian young people were oppressed by this regime for such a long time and under the former king (the shah) there as well. This revolutionary situation needed support and we wanted to honor their courage. The parallelism of Iran and Germany in this year 2009 was also seen by some journalists, but I don’t know whether there is another project to connect both.

We thought that it would be great, if we have a Farsi version of our song. Iran students living in Germany did the text and the singing and sorted out films and pictures for the Farsi music video. Because we don’t want to earn money out of that, we got in contact to amnesty international in Berlin. They will receive the part of income we get for the Farsi version.

GL: How has the initial commercial success been?

AT: Bad, the income doesn’t reach the costs up to now. But it was a so special working together with artists and creative people from different cultures and styles, we never want to miss this great experience. If the light of freedom and hope spreads out a bit by our project, this would be the greatest income we could have. But of course we would really like lots of people buy the album. You can get the album or the songs worldwide on the download-stores and in Germany at the Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann and at libri.de.

GL: What are JAX’s future plans?

AT: For an edition 2.0 of the actual album “Project D” we are still looking for musicians who want to make interpretations of the song. More Infos on our website.

We want to produce more songs for a complete album during the next months and you can find an unplugged version of the song “winner or loser” on our youtube channel jaxmusik.

GL: Thank you for your time, Andy.

AT: Thank you for the possibility of this interview Gary, and best wishes to all readers of IndieMusicReview.NET from Berlin.

Check out JAX at:

http://www.jaxmusic.de

http://www.youtube.com/jaxmusik

http://www.youtube.com/rosannaw

http://www.jaxmusic.de/Flyer_JAX_WSDV_eng.pdf

]]> http://www.indiemusicreview.net/?feed=rss2&p=78 http://www.indiemusicreview.net/?p=77 http://www.indiemusicreview.net/?p=77#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:35:43 +0000 admin http://www.indiemusicreview.net/?p=77 Drum Dynasty
Mystic Sunrise / Dark Continent
reviewed by Gary Levinson

It’s been a cold and rainy early evening at the beginning of Advent here in Berlin, and I was feeling kind of bluesy.  Time to listen to some music! I tried putting on a few things; some new age, techno, folk, and none of them was really what I wanted to listen to. Then I put on Drum Dynasty.

This, their debut album, is a 2 CD album. I took a liking to it immediately, when instead of be entitled, each disk just has a color: Red is the Mystic Sunrise disk, and green is the Dark Continent disk.

The press release that came with the disk said that each disk was a separate musical journey. And indeed, as soon as I put on Dark Continent, I was transported directly to the Dark Continent, Africa, feeling the wind on the Savannah and the as-of-yet unknown smell of the air.   I was bluesy no more.

Mystic Sunrise sounds, appropriately enough, like a trip to a jagarti in India - reminding me of Jan Garbarek and his album Legend of The Seven Dreams - with Sitar sounds and incense burning; while listening to Dark Continent takes one to this continent, but without the turbulence.

These two disks are filled with 28 songs (over 90 minutes) of rhythmic music, most importantly percussion (with some strings and throat). The songs are world rhythms - an intense form of communication that everyone can understand.

Drum Dynasty with their two musical adventures create a musical ambiance that fosters the calming of the mind, and in a meditative way encourages focusing on the internal, the essential, the primal nature of rhythm.

Reviewed by Gary Levinson

http://www.drumdynasty.com

“That looks very futuristic!” my mother might declare in describing an avant-garde object or work of art. With this exclamation, she is almost certainly not referring to the artistic and social movement called Futurism, that in this year celebrates its 100th birthday.

Futurism, as a movement, was founded by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1909 with the publication of his Futurist Manifesto. Marientti was sick of the traditions and cultures left over from the last century (“We’ve had enough of the past!”) and made an appeal for a new dawn in the world of culture; one completely different from the past, in which the supposed triumph of technology over nature would be shown.

Futurism was an Italian phenomenon, having a French correspondent in Cubism, and a German pendant in Expressionism. While Cubism was an artistic movement concentrating on the tableau, Futurism concerned the whole of life, and the whole of artistic expression, encompassing every conceivable medium (even cooking! Marinetti deplored spaghetti for being so last-century.)

It was in Italy that Futurism, a culturally revolutionary movement encompassing all aspects of life, took place. In France, the more open and contemporary culture reduced the need for such a profound change.

The Futurists were nationalistic, supporting Mussolini and the fascist political organization in Italy. They were attracted to the Fascists populist presentations; especially the idea of modernizing their divided country, with its modern north (industrial Milan) and rural south.

Futurism was also accepted by groups of National Socialists (Nazis) in Germany, and had a large final exhibition there in 1934. After Hitler saw the Futurist art, in September 1934, he deemed it degenerate and forbid it along with Expressionism.

The Martin-Gropius-Bau, in Berlin has organized an exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of Futurism. In this comprehensive exhibition are works done in the various Futuristic media: literary, painting, sculpture, noises, theater props, etc.  The works shown give a rounded picture of the Futurist times and their means of expression.

The first works in the Futurist genre were literary.  Marinetti, who was a writer, set down the Futurist ideology in his Futurist Manifesto. He thereafter experimented with words, letters, and lines to make avant-garde onomatopoeic poems, writings and images.

Fortunato Depero, one the the most prodigious among the Futurist artists, is on display with, among many other pieces, his eponymously named Subway (1929), a graphic image composed of letters and lines.

There are many paintings by Gino Severini to be seen. These capture the eye with their richness of color and their complexity of form. When I asked the curator of the exhibition, Gabriela Belli, what her favorite work in the exhibition was, she immediately turned to Severini’s Souvenir de Voyage (1911). This multi-colored collage of various images relating to a voyage (buses, Taj Mahal, Alps, etc.) had been hidden for 60 years in a private collection before coming back to light on the market in 1995.

After showing me Souvenir de Voyage, Ms. Belli, director of the Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto (MART), quickly turned to the far wall and pointed to Severini’s Ritmo plastico del 14 luglio (1913) saying that she really liked it because it embodied the different forms of Futurist expression: dance, theater, and painting all in one. Others in this vein were Severini’s Danseuse from 1913-14, and his Tramway sur le boulevard (1913).

A few of the images on display had a rather impressionistic look to them, especially one (which all the visitors stopped to look at) by Umberto Boccioni, entitled Nudo di spalle.

The Futurists were known to admire violence, and Depero’s painting La rissa (1926, the brawl), although monochromatic, held my attention for some time. It is an image in gray tones of two groups of Futurists fighting each other. I don’t want to read more into it than the artist intended, but one can perhaps see in it a reflection of the divisions in Italian society at that time, the struggle of the Socialists against the Fascists. Or perhaps the painting was simply a reflection of the Futurists’ love of violence.

Another work presaging trouble to come was Tullio Crali’s Incuneandesi nell’ abitato (1939) (Nosedive on the city), whose kamikaze-like image was surely thought of differently after the war.

In the same room as Depero’s La rissa, was to be found a sound installation producing a cacophony of noises that Futurists held dear: machine noses, automobile noises, voices, whatever.

Very difficult to find elsewhere is the very interesting display of Futurist theater props, which Depero made for the play Le Chat du Rossignol (1917). In addition to the props, there are to be seen many brightly colored marionettes, also from Depero, the Marionetti per i balli plastici (1918).

Sculptures on display included Depero’s Martellatori (1923, Hammerers), a work showing the close connection between Futurism and Russian cubo-futurism.  This sculpture bears a striking similarity to the Russian avant-garde art of the early Soviet years.

Futurism was an artistic movement with a long life-span beginning with Marinetti in 1909 and lasting up until the beginning of the second world war.

Though the majority of the works on display come from Futurism’s first decade, the exhibition has a real richness and depth. It is a fascinating and informative introduction to an art movement which has had a marked influence on dadaism and surrealism; cultural movements with which people in present-day society still have a close connection.

A beautiful catalog of the exhibition is available.

reviewed by Gary Levinson

review © 2009 Levinson

Martin-Gropius-Bau; Languages of Futurism:

http://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/en/aktuell/festivals/11_gropiusbau/mgb_04_programm/mgb_04_aktuelle_ausstellungen/mgb_04_ProgrammlisteDetailSeite_1_12205.php

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