Oct 2008
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Diverse Artists Take Center Stage During IMA Showcase @ CMJThe Independent Music Awards is riding high from the success of the IMA Showcase at last week’s CMJ Music Marathon. The event, billed as “Independent Music Awards Presents Sets by Marco Benevento, Mudville, Jonah Smith, Jose Conde, Ari Gold & Animate Objects were videotaped by Hip Video Productions. Below is some rough footage – stay tuned, the edited version will be available soon at numerous sites including IndependentMusicAwards.com. We’d like to thank all the IMA talent that participated and truly made it an Independent Music Party to remember. All delivered sets that showcased their considerable talents and confirmed their place among the growing list of Independent Music Awards Winners. And so now…from the IMA stage…we’d like to give a shout out to: Animate Objects Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Sounds Like: Animate Objects brings back early 90s Hip-Hop a la the Native Tongues crew and Goodie Mobb with a fresh flow. Enjoying the Ride: Animate Objects has been profiled in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Billboard Magazine, and many other publications. In addition to winning a 7th Annual IMA award, the band has also won the Metromix/Chicago Tribune 2007 Rock N' Vote, the 2007 iGo Audio Emissions debut CD contest, and the 2005 WPGU/Buzz Local Music Award for Best Hip Hop Band. The Buzz: Animate Objects are "A live band whose music oozes an almost Philadelphia soul sound with layered grooves punctuated by rhymed lyrics about a world where hope exists alongside darkness, and women are seen as complete human beings." –Chicago Sun Times More: www.myspace.com/animateobjects Ari Gold Hometown: The Bronx The 411: Performer, model and Gay Rights advocate, Ari Gold is a true Renaissance man. As the Jem character that he voiced as a child, Gold is truly, truly outrageous! His R&B songs and stage show leave fans in a frenzy. Where You’ve Seen Him: He’s been featured on VH-1, LOGO, MTV Europe, BBC, Radio 1, Top Of The Pops, IFC, HBO Zone, Sirius, XM, NPR, WOR, and FOX News and in print in People Magazine, Billboard, HITS, VIBE, W, Advocate and countless magazines covers around the world. His critically acclaimed new album, TRANSPORT SYSTEMS spawned the 1 Sirius Satellite Radio hit “Where The Music Takes You“ and the accompanying video is LOGO’s 1 Best Video of 2007. “Where The Music Takes You“ also won the Overall Grand Prize for the 2007 USA Songwriting Competition and 1st prize in the pop category. On Tour: The multi-award winning and Billboard Top 40 chart topper Gold has toured Europe, Canada and in over 40 cities in the U.S, alongside Cyndi Lauper, Martha Wash and Chaka Khan and has headlined Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub and BAM in his hometown NYC. The Buzz: “Ari Gold combines everything we ever loved about Michael and Janet... It’s the kind of exuberant soul boogie George Michael once made...and it gives us hope for the future of sexy pop.” - INSTINCT Magazine More: www.myspace.com/arigoldtheartist Jose Conde y Ola Fresca Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Sounds Like: Jose Conde grooves on his Cuban roots and melds them with Afro-Latin styles and New Orleans funk. On the Record: The theme of his new album is to evolve beyond the “R” of Revolution, change through violent means and the Cuban Revolution, and towards an evolution of music, coexistence, good times, and preservation of the Earth. Conde draws on his life experience to weave together this vision. “Growing up in South Florida I came into daily contact with the mix of sounds—son, funk, rock, rumba, Haitian compas, cumbia, guaracha—and to me it’s all one thing and can be intermixed at will and with taste,” explains Conde, whose band’s name translates as “Fresh Wave." The Buzz: “Conde’s vocal understatement is unusual. He formulates an Afro-Cuban music with an emphasis on songs with characters, wordplay and mild social ideas and brings together son, with New Orleans funk, Nigerian Afrobeat, James Brown rhythms, Haitian compas, New York City boogaloo and even jam-band stuff.”- The New York Times More: www.myspace.com/olafresca Jonah Smith Hometown: Brooklyn, New York All Across the World: Jonah's songs have been downloaded more than a million times and his fan base spreads across the globe. Along with his band, he’s toured Europe five times and trekked across the USA, as well. They’ve taken the stage at several festivals including Bonnaroo, SXSW, the All Good Music Fest, the Gathering of the Vibes, Smilefest, CMJ, Granollers Jazz Festival (Spain) and the Cazorla Blues Festival (Spain). Indie-Success: In 2005, Jonah signed a record deal with Relix Records (as in the magazine). Sounds Like: Jonah’s story-telling perspective is crafted through Jazz and Soul sounds. The Buzz: “The music industry meets its future,” wrote The New York Post. Smith’s music was dubbed “striking” by The Boston Globe, and “sophisticated and soulful” by Modern Drummer. During a recent tour of Spain, La Vanguardia called Smith “one of the most important voices in modern soul music.” More: www.myspace.com/jonahsmith Mudville Hometown: New York City Sounds Like: The female-fronted Mudville brings a bit of old-time soul, hip-hop and jazz to it’s electronica based arrangements. On the Air: Mudville has received airplay on over 150 US and Canadian radio stations including KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, the NPR programs Morning Edition and Studio 360 as well as in the feature film Slutty Summer and on the Gemini Award-winning Canadian TV show ReGenesis. The Buzz: "There's post-rock, post-punk, and now, post-trip-hop. In the hands of the smoldering vocalist Marilyn Carino and the producer, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Rubin, down-tempo beats, haunted-matinée-style organ playing, and electronic flourishes coalesce into something familiar yet wholly unique." - THE NEW YORKER More: www.myspace.com/mudville Marco Benevento Hometown: Brooklyn, New York School of Jazz: Benevento has studied under and played alongside Kenny Werner, Brad Mehldau, and Joanne Brackeen; and band-mates Matt Chamberlain, Steven Bernstein, Wayne Krantz, Charlie Hunter, Stanton Moore, Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio. Success on the Side: Benevento is one half of the Benevento/Russo Duo, an instrumental Indie Rock, post-Jazz experimental band that he formed with drummer Joe Russo. They have performed at events like Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Fuji Rock Festival, SXSW, Bonnaroo, Wakarusa and have drawn reviews at publications ranging from Rolling Stone to Pitchfork Media. The Buzz: He “often hammers his keyboards like John Bonham and writes like a guitarist,” according to Rolling Stone.com. More: www.marcobenevento.com |
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