MA

Issue #13

independent.music.dedicated
G
March 2010

The Travelling Girl

Lille's New Album - thoughts by Pete Strobl

Read also:
Album Updates
+ Civilized Tears + Inge M +
Kathie Thompson +
Interviews
+ Aryn Michelle + Trail +
John C Fraser + Apryl Evans
Promising Newcomers
+ Sunset Riot + My First Robot
and a lot more ...
2

Editorial Note/Imprint:

A lot of work lies behind me again to finish and finally
publish this issue of 50K MUSIC MAG. If you'd like to
support the MAG, please help me writing it. Because it's a
very time-consuming job. It would be very appreciated if I
could get some more support from the community. I hope
you have fun reading it. And of course, if you like the mag
please spread the word.
So, who are the artists spotlighted in this issue? First we
have our cover story with the Travelling Girl - Lille Mulder
- no SellaBand artist this time on the cover (part of the
new strategy). But so many people who are well-known to
the SellaBand community were involved in the production
of Lille's album. A number of artists update us on their
album production projects - Civilized Tears, Inge M, Katie
Thompson and Aly Cook.
Promising newcomers focussed in this issue are Sunset
Riot and My First Robot. And we have interviews with
Aryn Michelle, John C Fraser, Trail, Apryl Evans ...
Utterly B Groovy reviewed Francis Rodino's gig at IndigO2
and Bim at Punk for us. And Jurjen unveils the winners of
last years Airplay Challenge and announces the start of a
new round this year.
And not to forget four songwriters who raise funds on
artistShare are introduced by Jane (from artistShare) -
among them Chris Barron, well known as the voice of the
Spin Doctors.
So enjoy reading the MAG and please give me your
feedback. Authors and topic suggestions are always
welcome as well. Send your hints and suggestions to
mario@50kmusic.com.
50K MUSIC MAG (www.50kmusic.com) is mainly written
and solely published by Mario Putzar, D-99947 Bad
Langensalza, Contact: mario(at)50kmusic.de
The parts of the MAG written by other authors are signed
as follows:
(AM) - Andy Marczak
(CM) - Cecile Morel
(CS) - Catself (Agnieszka Holm) - member of Talentcast
team
(CW) - Casee Wilson
(FJ) - Fleur Jack - Kiwi FM
(ps) - Pete Strobl - posts from his bottom-end blog
(Lu) - Lucretia
(NV) - Netvalar - Researcher Extraordinaire
(PMcM) - Paul McMaster
(MC) - Multicorriente - Argentinean magazine
(RSV) - Ronny - Slim Void
(sab) - posts, news, informations from Sellaband webpage
(TC) - information from Talentcast webpage
(Th) - Thor
(UBG) - Utterly B Groovy
Articles written by other authors do express the opinion of
the particular author, not necessarily the opinion of 50K
MUSIC.
All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be
copied or distributed without the permission of the
publisher. Copyrights of photos and pictures of artists
used in this magazine are owned by the artists. Articles,
feedback and suggestions are welcome. Please send them
to my e-mail adress.

Besides I'm still looking for correspondents who like to

work for the MAG - get/keep in touch with local SellaBand Friends of 50K MUSIC MAG are:
artists, observing the (SAB) music scene and write www.sellaband.com
articles/reviews/reports for the MAG from time to time. www.multicorriente
You should live in France, Germany, South America, www.petestrobl.com
Japan. So get in touch with me and we can talk about a www.talentcast.nl
collaboration soon. www.evolutioncoop.com
www.knifelady.blogspot.com

mario@50kmusic.com
www.50kmusic.com This magazine is made with Scribus - www.scribus.net
 3

Aryn Michelle ... 4 John Lille Mulder ... 8

C
Fraser
... 6

Apryl Evans
... 10

Aly
Cook
artistShare ... 20
... 16
Civilized Tears ... 14

Trail ... 18 Katie Thompson

My First Robot ... 22 ... 15 Sunset Riot ... 24

In this issue
Editorial 2
Always Move Forward 4
I'm Full of Excitement 6
Album Update - Inge M 7
Artist News (I) 7
The Travelling Girl 8
Determined and Fearless 10
Artist Survey 12
Civilized Tears Album Update 14
Katie Thompson Album Diary 15
artistShare for Songwriters 16
The More You Listen the More You'll Find 18
Greetings from the Kiwisofa 20
On Stage with ... Francis Rodino 21
On Stage with ... Bim 21
My First Robot 22
Jurjen's Airplay Challenge 22
Sunset Riot 24
Artist News (II) 25
4
Always Move Forward
50K MM: For all those who don't know you yet (if there is
anyone at all) please tell us something about Aryn
Michelle. Where do you come from, what are your roots?
Aryn: I was raised and have lived most of my life in Texas
in the United States. I started writing music and teaching
myself to play the piano when I was about fifteen years
old. I inherited my love of music from my family, all of
whom are very musical, and my first experiences with
music were singing in church and public school. I went to
two different colleges, Southwestern University and the
Aryn Michelle was the first artist to reach the goal of
50k $ after SellaBand got a new management and new
owners. And her SellaBand album will not be her first
one. So most of her believers can't wait to hold it in
their hands I guess.
Berklee College of Music to study vocal performance,
songwriting and music technology. Over the years I have
dabbled in alot of styles of music including
singer/songwriter, folk, pop, rock and jazz; but I've finally
settled on "alternative pop" or "fringe pop" as my genre
definition of choice! I know work as a musician full time
writing, performing, and running a small demo making
studio.
50K MM: After almost two years on SellaBand you finally
reached the goal of 50k. What happened on this March
2nd 2010?
Aryn: It was a very tense time when Sellaband changed
hands through the bankruptcy to new ownership, but
amongst that turmoil, I made a decision to stand strong
and assured my believers that I would finish funding my
project. I anticipated that the bankruptcy and the new
T&Cs might slow down my progress, but actually quite the
opposite thing took place. Because several other notable
artists made the decision to leave SellaBand, made
believers began to rally support for my project because I
had announced in a strong and public way that I intended
to stay. So many people showed their strong support in the
last few days of fundraising; it was overwhelming and
amazing! My biggest believer, mdwh, also gave me some
very strong "nudges" in the right direction at key
milestones, which was a tremendous help!
50K MM: You're a member of Dream Team and The
Pack. Do you think this memberships helped you to
succeed in reaching your goal?
Aryn: Absolutely! I could never thank Phil and Wolfman
enough for starting this groups and inviting me to become
involved. Both groups are filled with an amazing collection
of artists and believers who sincerely believe in their goals
and help each other to make things happen. Because of my
involvement in the groups I have taken on collaboration
projects with other artists, and had opportunities with
increased exposure through websites, Facebook, Twitter,
collaborative videos, etc. I would encourage any artists on
 5
SellaBand to find a group of people who have similar
goals, believers and artists alike, and work on projects
together. Working together and helping each other can do
nothing but good for the community.

50K MM: How have SellaBand and the time there

changed your life?
Aryn: I was thinking about this alot the other day. When I
joined SellaBand I had been writing my own music for
many years, but hadn't really begun to take the big "next
steps." Because of my involvement in Sellaband, I felt
more compelled to seek out high profile performance
opportunities, invested the time and money to get better
sound equipment, get professional photos taken, and
eventually to record my first professional indie album.
Since I have joined SellaBand I launched my own website,
now have music available for sale on ITunes, and have
taken the time to get training in music technology so that
now I can record and mix my own demos. Without
sounding too cheesy or over-dramatic, I really think
joining Sellaband changed my life as an artist, because it
gave me a "big goal." It gave me the motivation to become
a better artist and a reason to take a chance to take the big
"next step."
Also, I can't forget to mention how the members of the
community have profoundly changed my life. Getting to
know so many people from all over the world who have
shown me such great love and support has really
transformed my vision of what a successful musician Aryn: I can tell you that I am 99% sure about my
should be. producer choice at this time, but I can't unveil who it is
until I get the budget approval from HQ. So at the
50K MM: In May 2009 you released your album moment, I will have to hold you in suspense on that one!
"Lockless Heart". So the SellaBand album is not your first
album project. What kind of album can we expect? 50K MM: How can we support you during the time of
Aryn: One of the big reasons that I made "Lockless Heart" album production?
was to give the SellaBand community a taste of what I Aryn: I think people can help by just showing there
could do in a professional studio environment. This support through my online presence. Following me on
project was completely self funded and promoted, so the twitter and Facebook, rating and commenting on my
Sellaband album will be a much grander "expression" of YouTune videos, leaving comments on my website, etc.
what I know that I can do. I think believers should expect Also, please let everyone know that if they would like
an album with great focus on originality of lyric, and a detailed information about how to be involved, I can
sonic texture that blends in singer/songwriter subscribe them to my monthly e-mail newsletter. Anyone
sentimentality, ambient moodiness of trip hop, over a firm who'd like to receive the newsletter can send me an email
foundation of positive pop/rock. Several of the newest to info@arynmichelle.com and let me know they'd like to
demos that I released towards the end of my fundraising be added.
(Desperate Times, Nomad, The Last One Standing...) are Lastly, tell your family and friends about my music!
strong contenders to make the project, but I am sure there Lockless Heart will continue to be available on CdBaby
will also be several never-before-heard tracks on the and ITunes, and I always welcome helpful comments, tips
album as well. and suggestions for gigs sent to my email:
info@arynmichelle.com
50K MM: What are your further plans for the album
production? Also I want to mention that I plan on doing video blogs
Aryn: Right now I have drawn up a tentative budget and about our time in studio during pre-production and
will talk to Sellaband HQ soon about getting approval for tracking, so be on the lookout for those to start popping up
that budget. After that I will be finalizing my on SAB and on my YouTube channel within the next
studio/producer choice and then setting up pre- couple of months.
production sessions. (These will be sessions to work
through preliminary song arrangements and possible work 50K MM: And last question: Please tell us one thing
out some rough demos) I'm also currently contacting about you and your music everybody should know.
players that I am interested in working with for recording Aryn: The one thing you should know about myself and
the album and doing the follow-up tour. my music is that I am never satisfied with something until
it is better than the last thing I produced. My goal is to
50K MM: Have you chosen a producer yet? Can you always continue to move forward in a positive direction!
unveil who it is?
www.arynmichelle.com
6
I'm Full of Excitement
John C Fraser reached his goal of 10k $ on March 2nd and
he seems to be on schedule with his album production
50K MM: In last issue of 50K MUSIC MAG we have
talked about how you plan to reach your goal of 10k. Now
that you've reached it, how do you feel?
John: I’m full of excitement actually! I never expected the
financing to go this fast. The last 300 parts were raised in
less than a week. Much faster than I’d expected. Specially
concerning the situation Sellaband was and in some sort of
way still is in. For me it feels good to know that people
have faith in my project and that I’m the first under the
new management to reach my target. I hope this means a
new era for Sellaband with good produced records that
might even gain some success!
50K MM: In between there was a week of confusion and
uncertainty. What were your thoughts when you heard the
news that SellaBand filed for bankruptcy?
John: When I first heard about Sellaband’s bankruptcy I
was in disbelieve. The weeks before I’d spent so much time
on promoting the website and my project through diverse
media. And all this time spent now seemed to be for
nothing. When the site came back online I had my doubts
on staying. For me my believers had the call. If they’d still
have faith to keep their money on Sellaband I’d continue.
If they would have said they were withdrawing I’d leave
too. But to my surprise almost all of my believers said they
had faith in my project on Sellaband and so I stayed! And
decided to put even more energy into it. Which resulted in
achieving my goal!
50K MM: How will the album production go on now?
When will the album be released?
John: Within two weeks I’ll be in the studio. We now
have 17 songs to record. I’m not sure if all of the songs will
make it to the record. But wel will record them. The first
session we will record the instruments. Mostly live
because that’s what we (me and my wonderful band) are
good at! After that we will record additionals like electric
guitar, string quartet and backing vocals. And the last
thing we will record are my vocals. All of this will happen
in the month of april. After recording the mixing process
will start. We hope to have the mixing done in the
beginning of may so we can release the album in the end of
may 2010!
But besides that we will also have the recording of the
Limited Edition live CD. This will happen on the 25th of
april. See it as a small celebration of Sellaband being back
online again! All of my believers are invited and they will
recieve the invitation very soon!
50K MM: Do you have any plans for album promotion
yet?
John: We (me and my plugger) allready got some
confirmed appearances on dutch national radio for the
album release. Some 3fm shows and Tros Muziekcafé the
radio program with the most listeners in the Netherlands.
Besides that we will also release a new single of the album
to give it even more exposure. As for now it seems there
might also be some TV appearances for the album release!
50K MM: Will we see you on stages soon, maybe even
throughout Europe?
John: Me and my band will be touring to promote the
album. As for now we are planning to tour the Netherlands
in september 2010. This will be a small club tour
throughout the entire country. Besides that I’m looking for
some places to perform throughout Europe and maybe
even the USA. But I’m still trying to find someone who is
willing to help me out on planning gigs in each country. So
if you feel like helping me out: let me know! Also for
artists who want to team up: holla at me!
50K MM: How can we support you during the time of
album production?
John: I think positive energy is all Sellaband needs right
now. And that also counts for my album release. Mistakes
have been made in the past, but let us all give the new
management a chance! Once negativity will overshadow
my album release I doubt if it might become a success.
Let’s all put our shoulders into this and make it work!

Album Update Artist News (I)
by Inge M
Inge gives us some infos how album
production evolves at the moment
After the big shock of the Sellaband bankrupcy I am so
happy and relieved that I can continue the recording
process! Everything was already arranged, the studios
were booked. The whole budget was calculated.
My two producers (Coen Molenaar and Jeroen Molenaar)
and I have picked the songs that we are going to work on. I
wanted to have at least 10 songs on the album, plus a
bonus track. We picked 13 songs that we are going to
record, and after that we can choose which ones will finally
make it on the album. I sent all songs to my producers,
and also sent them the separate vocals of those songs. My
producers are now working on the arrangements and re-
recording the music to my songs. The new music added to
my vocals give me new demos, that I can listen to and
comment on. As a co-producer, Angela Groothuizen is also
listening to the demos and giving her advice. Angela is a
very famous Dutch singer and performer, and also a judge
in X-factor. I have already met her once and will meet her
again on March the 18th.
The coming weeks we will be finalising the work on the
demos. I will also do several vocal coaching sessions with
singer Des'ray (from 2 brothers on the 4th floor).
Then on april the 19th the instruments will be recorded in
the FendalSound studio. A week later I will start recording
the vocals.
Mixing and mastering will take place in May. So if all goes
well, the CD will be ready before summer. I hope so!!
xx
Inge M
7
A day in the life.
(by Fleur Jack)
Today I woke up. I met a man about a distribution deal. I
went and saw my grandma and my sister for her birthday.
I went to my day job. I dashed out for a soundcheck, then
back to work and i'm just waiting to hit the road to my gig.
My rock band The Twitch toured around NZ in Feb and
not only did we have a great time we had packed out
shows and sold most of our cd's that we printed. We got a
two page write up in the NZ musician mag which is one of
the leading music mags in the country. I was written about
in the local paper this week (check my photos for that
one). My new project Pavlova and the Jandals are in the
studio most nights mixing getting ready for our album
release which is out in less than a month - we kick off April
15th and head out for two weeks of shows around the
country. I'll get back from that tour and have a couple of
weeks to get ready for the next Twitch tour which starts
half May.
I get to see the country and break some hearts along the
way~
Francis Rodino's Pledge campaign
(from Fran's website)
I am reaching out to all my friends and fans for help with a
unique "PLEDGE CAMPAIGN" in order to raise funds for
our next studio project – an EP (Extended Play). We are
also giving 10% of our campaign profits to The Maria Watt
Birmingham Foundation For Childhood & Teenage
Leukaemia .
Please take a moment to look at what we are doing and get
involved to make a difference, it will really mean a lot to
me.
Here you will see all the unique and exciting items that
you can pledge for including:
* Digital Download (MP3 and CD Quality Audio) - £8
* Signed Limited Edition CD - £10
* Personalised and signed CD artwork - £15
* Your name in the credits - £50
...and many more, please see our list! Everyone who
makes a pledge will get exclusive (Pledger only) acces to
the project, the artists, and the creative process through
regular updates (video, audio, blogs etc..)
We are are currently unsigned and not supported
financially so we have to find the funds do this
independently. So many of you have enjoyed our music
and have supported me for so long - please show that
support by contributing financially to the recordings.
Thanks for making this happen - Make a pledge now!
Fran
8

The Travelling Girl

Pete Strobl reports about Lille's new album. Read
who was involved in the production process and
listen to Lille's music - it's definitely worth it.
I made the switch from gym rat to studio rat when I
realized that breaking fingers on the basketball court
didn’t add much to a bass track. So I hung up the old
sneakers, grabbed my bass with both hands and took my
gym rat mentality with me into any studio with a good
espresso machine. What can I say? The things I would
forego for a chance to be in the room with the guys and
gals is a very short list. And that is why I jumped at the
invitation to travel to Holland to work on Traveling Girl
with some good friends who also happen to know their
way around a recording studio.

I was picked up at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport by the

Traveling girl herself, Lille Mulder. As we knew each other
only by email, we both did a few laps around the terminal
before the process of elimination successfully put us into
the car together. The two hour drive to Dick Kemper’s
Studio in Doetinchen gave us a chance to tell our life
stories and lay the groundwork for the two week’s work
ahead.

S&K Studio reflected all the know how of the seasoned

musician/engineer/producer that is Dick Kemper. Dick
toured the world as the bassist of Vandenberg sharing
major concert venues with Metallica and Ozzy and that
experience combined with the intervening years of
recording have served to create a consummate studio pro.
I was here to work with Lille only on the vocal tracks but a
quick tour of the studio and a listen to the basic tracks told
me that she would have plenty of inspiration to draw upon
when it was her turn on the other side of the glass.
As good as Dick is at his job, any engineer or producer will
tell you that they are only as good as the talent holding the
guitar or bass, or in the case of Nico Groen, hitting things
with sticks. And in this department Dick had plenty to
work with. The producer of The Traveling Girl is my good
pal Casper van Vulpen and Casper started the project off
with plenty of wind in his sails by choosing great songs to
record and the right combination of players to make the
magic happen. This project was truly an international
effort as Casper had gathered the forces of a Russian from
Poland, a Polish songwriter from England, a British writer
from London, an Austrian from Los Angeles, a rhythm
section from Holland and one of the best singers I’ve
worked with in years. Lock the doors and get the coffee
going. This was going to be more fun than a pick up game
at the Fourth Street cage in the Village.

Lille was a dream to work with. Many singers can be

temperamental, moody or demanding. Lille was all of
these but in a very unique way. Where some singer’s
moods or demands are driven by insecurity, inability or
lack of preparation, Lille took full responsibility and her
demands were only of herself. And where some singers
might hit the wall of their endurance or storm out of the
room blaming it all on the headphone mix or the color of
the pop filter, Lille forced every mood directly through the
microphone and into her vocal performance for upwards
of eight hours at a stretch.

The main focus of my involvement was in creating
authentic and sincere vocal performances with a singer in
English as a second and sometimes third language.
Regrettably, I only know how to say “Goddammit” “Two
Beers” and “Screwing in the kitchen” in the Dutch
language but Lille and I were able to work together in
German as well as English. I find sincerity to be the most
attractive element of any vocal performance and this must
be based on not only a thorough understanding but also a
convincing belief in the lyrical content of a song.
Whenever studio rats get gather in the temple of sound
they follow a timeless ritual. Everyone let’s everyone else
know who they know, which new plug-ins they use, choice
of recording software, past, present and future drug,
alcohol and gambling profile and whatever other factoids
seem pertinent to the session. It’s just a bit of canine butt-
sniffing really, but it serves to lubricate the initial get-to-
know-you period better than passing out resumes. We
already knew each other via the internet so the circle sniff
was just a bit if handshaking and joke telling. Before I hit
the pillow that first night I felt warmly sniffed into the
pack.
My second day in Holland Lille and I went to work in
earnest. As we went line by line dissecting the finer points
of pronunciation we also discussed the inner meaning of
every phrase. Sometimes when writers create in a foreign
language they might say something that makes perfect
literal sense but loses symbolic meaning or poetic value in
the translation. There were a few corners to smooth over
in this department and we changed a few words or phrases
to insure that Lille was portraying the feeling behind the
meaning with belief, conviction and precision.
9
I had initially thought to coach Lille into a strictly
American pronunciation but her delivery has a certain
international charm which we certainly did not want to
lose. So we concentrated on clarity and those areas where
letter sounds differ between Dutch, German and English
while retaining the feel and passion which went into the
original demos of the songs. On a technical level, most
problems arise when losing the distinction between voiced
and un-voiced consonants. Using the word “Love” as an
example, the ‘V’ must have pitch. Dutch and German
speakers pronounce the word as “Luff” because their ‘V’ is
our ‘F’ and so “Live” becomes “Life” and “Very” becomes
“Fairy.” Another pitfall is the American ‘TH’ sound which
doesn’t exist in many European languages. To make the
sound one must extend the tip of the tongue between the
teeth and blow out a puff of air. Euros tend to replace the
‘TH’ with either the hard ‘D’ or the sibilants ‘Z’ or ‘S’ as in
“Vaht do you Sink about ziss.” And, as the sentence
indicates, even our ‘S’ sound has voiced and un-voiced
versions as does the ‘TH’…hear the difference between
“This” and “Think” “What’s” and “Was.” And then there is
our ‘W’ which is their ‘V’…so our “Was” would be
pronounced “Vass” two corrections for the price of one on
that one.
The key was to make the corrections seem effortless and
allow the vocal performance to be driven by Lille’s
amazing sense of phrasing. As I got to know her day by day
I learned that Lille is fierce when it comes to learning new
things. She was hell-bent on mastering whatever I
suggested and made notes on the lyric sheets, wrote on the
leg of her jeans, pounded the table and repeated the ‘TH’
sound until I had to cover my coffee cup. But I didn’t want
her to obsess so the best and most efficient learning came
through simple conversation. We decided that when in the
studio we would speak only English and I would try to
catch and correct every mispronunciation as it happened.
There are many structured exercises aimed at engaging
the diaphragmatic-intercostal musculature but none is
more efficient than uncontrolled laughter. Being among
new friends gave me a fresh audience for the jokes that
elicit groans from my stateside friends and I took full
advantage. Teaching the jokes to Lille was also a way to
practice Americanized idiomatic pronunciation. What
seemed to be breaks in the work were actually quite useful
and her delivery of the songs as well as her complete
understanding of the intent behind them improved at a
fast clip. Two weeks later my job was done and Lille
dropped me at the airport where she had first found me.
We were in the studio every day and the two weeks
seemed like one long session. Working with Casper,
Kostek, Dick Kemper and especially Lille had made the
time go much too quickly and on the Los Angeles bound
flight I wished that we had been making a double album.
The musicians played their asses off, Lille sang her ass off,
Dick engineered his ass off and now my ass was off for
home.
Traveling Girl will be available online and represents the
hard work of very talented people from all corners of the
globe (yes, I know that the globe doesn’t have corners, just
go with me on that one). It was a ton of fun to be involved
with the project, the music and, most importantly, the
people. I hope you all enjoy it.
10
Determined
and
Fearless
... that's what Apryl
Evans is. The SellaBand
album she raises funds
for at the moment is not
her first one. She's
talking about where she
comes from and where she wants to go ...
50K MM: First, please tell us something about you.
Where do you come from, what are your roots?
Apryl: I am from the United States, only about ten miles
from New York City, so my roots are firmly planted in the
culture that I grew up around being so close to one of the
biggest cities in the world. Music, art, and theater were so
accessible to me from a very early age so of course it was
only natural for me to fall in love with music – and I sure
did fall in love with it!
Although I was so close to New York City, however, the
town I was raised in was very small, so it was nice being a
“small town girl” with the ability to jump on a train and be
in New York within 20 minutes, instantly morphing into
“city diva”. I’d say that I ended up with a best of both
worlds scenario and that’s really shaped me as a person
and an artist.
50K MM: How would you describe your music and your
style?
Apryl: The core of my music is pop, but there are some
serious hints of R&B, Soul, and Dance, with a touch of
rock. I have very eclectic tastes in the music I listen to
and, of course, that naturally comes out in the creative
process of writing and recording. My music is reminiscent
of the “glory days of pop”, as I like to call them – the 80’s
and 90’s. I take a lot of inspiration from the music of that
time, especially from artists like Janet Jackson, Paula
Abdul, and Gloria Estefan. Even still, I definitely put a
significant modern spin on my tunes and, of course, make
sure the songs have my own “signature” on them. I have
been told I have a very unique and voice and style of music
– like one of those definitive sounds that you know could
only be one artist - which, to me, is the ultimate
compliment for an artist.
50K MM: I have noticed that you announced a plan to
split your fundraising into two phases. Please tell us a
something about the reasons behind this decision.
Apryl: I first got the idea from Hind’s current plan and
thought it was a fantastic idea for so many reasons. Before
I launch into the reasoning, however, I want to tell
everyone a little bit about what my intentions are. I am
splitting my project into two phases, the first of which will
be the production phase and the second of which will be
the promotion phase. The production phase is going to
cover everything from recording an 8-10 song album in
the studio to the cover photo shoot and the pressing of
1,000 CDs. Once I have reached this goal, which will be
officially set at $16,000 once HQ updates my plan, I will
almost immediately launch Phase II – the promotion.
With the promotion part of the plan, I would like to really
focus on getting the music out there for all to hear – be it
through touring, magazines, radio commercials, mailings
 11
to radio stations, etc. Naturally, I think that is how most
artists put an album together, focusing first on recording,
then on promoting their masterpiece. And I think this plan
will allow me to really pay extra close attention to each
individual phase – just as it was meant to be.

I put a lot of thought into this new method of fundraising,

and in the end, I really do believe that this will give
Believers of each (or both) of the phases of the project a lot
more insight into the recording process. By keeping me in
the public eye while recording my Sellaband album, I will
be in touch with Believers on a daily basis, posting up
photo and video footage of me hashing out the songwriting
process, working in the studio, practicing for gigs, heading
to photoshoots, etc. This will really give everyone a
glimpse into the creative process and make all of my
Believers feel as if they are going through the process with
me. And honestly, that is how it should be because without
Believers, there is no recording studio – no creative
process. You guys really are the record company and I
want you there throughout this journey with me!

50K MM: You've recently released your EP titled "One Of

Those Girls". I've read some good comments about it.
Would you please talk about the EP and the inspiration
behind the songs.
Apryl: This EP is a culmination of all of the time and hard
work I have put into my career thus far. I wrote so many
songs over the course of the past couple of years and when
it came time to record, I chose the songs that I felt best
embody who I am as an artist and a person. I am a very
strong and tenacious woman and in my songs “One of
Those Girls” and “Dear Friend”, you can totally hear that.
But like everyone, I have my moments of weakness, as is
illustrated in my award-winning song “I Shouldn’t”. Each
of the songs represents a different side of me – sometimes
I am sassy and fun, sometimes I let my anger get the best
of me, and other times I am torn apart by emotion – and
you get all that in one album. This EP truly is a testament
to the complex soul that is Apryl Evans…
50K MM: I saw you are going to play at the "Bitter End"
in New York City this summer. Some of the biggest names
in music industry have played on that stage. Do you have a
date for the gig you can share with us? What can those
lucky ones who will manage to be there expect from this
show?
Apryl: Let me tell you what an honor it is to be playing
this venue. I will be performing on May 25th at 8:00pm
EST at the Bitter End in “The Village” area of New York
City, which is the artsy, kind of bohemian area of
Manhattan, and by far my favorite hangout scene. So
many artists –Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Billy
Joel and literally hundreds of other famous musicians –
have played this stage and just knowing that gives me
goosebumps! I am going to be putting on quite a
performance, singing all three songs off of my EP with a
live band and a whole lot of energy. I am so excited for this
gig!!
for the gig. “Chick Singer Night” is a really amazing not-
for-profit showcase that has been on stages all over the
world for the past twenty years and has featured singers
like Norah Jones, Daru, and even guest male performer
Amos Lee (who I am such a fan of), perform on its stages.
Chick Singer Night was founded with the intention of
showcasing some of the best female singers in the country,
so to be a part of this is such an honor.
50K MM: How can we support you raising your budget?
Apryl: Well, of course, the best way to support me is to
become a Believer in my music project – every little bit
helps me on the way to my goal. But even if you can’t
become a Believer, just having as much support as
possible is so appreciated – everything from a nice
comment to spreading the word about my music. It all
means so much and at the end of the day, it is all about
sharing my music with as many people as I can.
50K MM: And last: Please tell us one thing about you and
your music everybody should know.
Apryl: I think the most important thing that everyone
should know about me is that I am one tough chick –
haha! Really though, what I mean is that I am determined
and fearless when it comes to my approach to the music
business and I am going to be in this industry for a long,
long time. You can expect my future Sellaband album to be
a reflection of that, just as my EP is, but with each album
there will always be a ton of growth as an artist and I can’t
wait to share all of my inner-most desires, dreams, drama,
and demons with all of you through my favorite medium –
the art of song.

50K MM: How come that you will perform at „Bitter

End“?
Apryl: I was actually chosen as one of four artists set to
perform as a part of “Chick Singer Night” from a quite a
large pool of female artists who submitted their press kits www.sellaband.com/aprylevans
12

Artist Survey
Old SellaBand's bankruptcy has shocked the whole community - I asked artists how
they deal with the recent change to New SellaBand ...

Aly Cook
50K MM: What were your thoughts, when you heard the
news that SellaBand had filed for bankruptcy?
Aly: I was mortified....panicked in the middle of a creative
process..luckily I didnt look at sellaband while I was in the
studio ... It was only when I came in from the airport and
woke up the next morning to it.. and for me personally It
was just before a major event here where I am the
Entertainment, sponsorship and Publicity Co-
Ordinator..and singing BVs for a major artist.. so I could
not have come at a worse time for me..
50K MM: Did you perceive any changes in your fan
community after SellaBand has restarted?
Aly: Naturally some believers would have left. However as
I ascertained early in the piece I could get things done in
NZ for much cheaper so am as far as I know the first artist
who will manufacture and distribute to my believer base
from NZ .. A second email will go out to my believers to
see if they wish to have direct contact with me .. I am
offering all beleivers the opportunity to be on the artwork
and have my autograph .. so easier to do it from here. but
have to respect privacy policies.. My point being I have
most of my believers direct contact and think they are
happy with that ...
50K MM: What are your future plans inside and outside of
SellaBand?
Aly: Well to continue with the social networking growth
http://www.facebook.com/alyrecord for my fanpage.. look
to plan to do live gigs around the launch later in the year I
just sung backing vocals for Sharon O'Neill who is a big
artist from the 80s down here
http://www.sharononeill.com.au .. she has also done a
guest spot on my album .. will cover that in the update I
send following this ..
Catself
(photo with Calle Lindholm)
50K MM: What were your thoughts when you heard the
news that SellaBand had filed for bankruptcy?
Catself: My first thought was: this is so typical, just when
I'm getting close - just perfect timing! I wasn't even
surprised. Then I thought how lucky it was I had email
and Facebook contact with a lot of my believers. Then I
made some rough alternative plans, and next thing I heard
that SellaBand was going to be bought and the site was
coming back after all.
50K MM: Did you perceive any changes in your fan
community after SellaBand has restarted?
Catself: A few of my fans have left SellaBand, which made
me sad but which I completely understand. Some of my
earliest fans were among them, and I know they would
have never withdrawn their funds otherwise, so that was a
shame. I will be in touch with them though and there is
going to be a way to support my project outside the site as
well.
50K MM: What are your future plans inside and outside of
SellaBand?
 13
Catself: On SellaBand, I am a little relieved to have my
profile in a place where it can be more easily found. I hope
it means I can relax just a little now in respect of online
activity and have more time for the music itself and some
other things. When I make songs, I often end up being in
some way inspired by whatever takes up my thoughts the
most. Since I signed up on SellaBand, I have made
something like nine SellaBand protest songs in various
styles and moods. This is not what I want my album to be
so it's really time to take my thoughts off SellaBand a little
more often!

Outside SellaBand... well. I have planned to start

advertising my project outside SellaBand once I was on a
high enough position but now that I reached No. 2, the
situation on SellaBand is unclear and I feel it is not the Talentcast
right time. When we all know for sure where the site is
going, I will be able with honesty to promote the site and
my project there to new fans. For now, I am concentrating
on music, gigs and of course also making plans for when I
is the passion
reach 50 K. And doing some skiing while the winter lasts! of three people:
Johan Jongerius
MissY
and
Catself
(Agnieszka Holm)

Listen to:
SellaBand
and
Sylvain Zebo MySpace Artists,
Song of the week,
50K MM: What were your thoughts, when you heard the interviews and chat
news that SellaBand had filed for bankruptcy?
Sylvain: I was still determined to succeed in music and I
stayed serene
every Saturday night
50K MM: Did you perceive any changes in your fan
community after SellaBand has restarted?
on
Sylvain: 2 believers with just 1 part have leaved my project,
t . n l
as
I am not worried.

n t c
t a le
50K MM: What are your future plans inside and outside of
SellaBand?
w.
ww
Sylvain: I want to record my album quickly. I will change
my fund raising plan to ask less money but it was planned
before. I think about the promotion and the distribution of
my album because it is very important for my success.
14
Civilized Tears Album Update
Every month Tim Bennett writes on this place about the latest
progress of Civilized Tears album production
(TB) In this month's update on the Civilized Tears Album,
I didn't want to get bogged down discussing the
Bankruptcy of Sellaband so I won't, but it is something I
need to address briefly as it's had repercussions on the
album.
It was definitely a positive sign when the German Media
company bought up SAB a few weeks ago, but I knew that
this would mean certain changes and set backs.
The payments to Civilized Tears clients have been held up
and that is never a good thing in business. However, after
several weeks of financial juggling in Germany, I have
been informed that payments will go ahead. These issues
mean that the album completion date has been delayed by
a month a half. So by April 8th, fingers crossed, Civilized
Tears will have their first album completed !
In life nothing is certain and in the Music Business it
seems even more so.
What's the next step for CT?
We are now looking at the promotion of the album and
releasing our first single coupled with a cutting edge music
video. September will be a good month to release these as
it gives us the time to build a solid and comprehensive PR
/ Marketing campaign.
We have an excellent Video Production team in the frame
to make the video and we also feel pretty confident about
the choice of our first single. ( We will have a poll for the
fans to vote on this too)
How will we fund this?
We are currently setting up a fund raising site and will
release the details in the next issue of 50K Music.
What's our Target?
We believe that with the right strategy and promo plan in
place, it's possible to become the - ' first unsigned, fan-
funded ' band to make the iTunes top 40 charts with our
first single. If we can achieve this, then we'll achieve a
place in music biz history and it is sure to create its own
positive spin. Yes, it's a pretty big goal to attempt but we'll
definitely give it our best shot.
To find out more please feel free to join us at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CIVILIZED-
TEARS/106264292368
Many thanks for tuning in.
Tim CT
www.myspace.com/civilizedtears
 15

Katie Thompson
Album Diary And here is Katie's update:
Long time no blog so I thought I better get one together.
And this is a goody!

I am delighted to announce that Greg Haver will be

producing my up and coming album. Greg is a talented
producer with a background in engineering, drumming and
programming who initially built up a reputation within the
Welsh music community for his diverse production skills
and innovative arrangements with artists such as Super
Furry Animals, Catatonia, Lost Prophets and Bullet For My
Valentine.

We are currently confirming the finer details and they will

Busking Wildfoods Weekend
Greg Haver be released once we know for sure but one very exciting
thing I can tell you is I’m on my way to London. I will be
travelling over early August and will hopefully get to meet
up with some of my favourite believers. I will be recording
at Modern World Studios and then hopefully do a little tiki
tour around while I’m over there. Why not ay!

Sooo the next couple of months will be full of sorting the

budget, prep on the songs and raising some more funds for
my airfares as I want to put as much money and effort as I
can into the album. I am totally stoked (a.k.a. happy lol)
that I have managed to get such a high calibre of people
involved in my project and can’t wait to get this ball rolling.

So stay tuned for updates! As always if you wanna check

out Greg or Modern World Studios Google it or flick me an
email.

Over and out

Katie
Singing Monteiths on Tap
... having a jam

Harry & Katie on his birthday

... to be continued ...

16

artistShare for Songwriters

www.artistshare.com/ASFS/
A few weeks ago I got in contact with artistShare, a fan-funding platform with an
approach very different from the SellaBand concept. 50K MUSIC MAG introduces
the four songwriters who raise funds on artistShare at the moment.
by Jane (artistShare)

Abby
Bernstein
This 22-year-old singer-songwriter whose style is best described as blues-inflected pop; has a passion to make blues more
mainstream similar to how Norah Jones put jazz back on the pop charts. "I believe that music is about telling stories"
says Abby, "and my songs attempt to reflect everyday experiences, particularly those of women. My parents were huge
hippies -- they named me after The Beatles album "Abbey Road" but changed the spelling because we're Jewish!" Abby's
first vocal teacher, a black blues gospel singer had a strong influence on her musical development. "Blues women...they
laid it all on the line and when I'm writing now, I try to capture that raw, unedited emotion while also fusing it with a
more modern sensibility."

You could call Kate Schutt a

musical triathlete. She is a
creative triple threat - a guitarist,
producer and singer/songwriter
of rare skill and originality. Jon
Garelick of The Boston Phoenix
recently hailed her "as a
phenomenal up-and coming
singer," saying "Harvard and
Berklee kid Kate Schutt is an
assured
singer/songwriter/guitarist with
a smoky, understated delivery."
A provocative, soulful performer
and a constant collaborator, Kate
has worked with the likes of
John Ellis (Charlie Hunter),
Terri Lyne Carrington (Herbie
Kate Hancock), and Viktor Krauss
(Lyle Lovett, Bill Frisell), to
Schutt name only a few.

Tony Harnell
“Nobody sings like Tony Harnell” commented a famous DJ
one night after one of his typical jaw dropping
performances in New York City, “This was the best show I
have ever seen”. Statements like that have followed this
California bred, Big Apple resident his entire career. An
unlikely beginning for a rock singer, Tony was ripping it
up as a pro skateboarder and avid surfer in San Diego
during his early teens. In a city more known for it’s
beautiful beaches and laid back lifestyle than for it’s rock
scene, one of the worlds most under rated and influential
vocalists would emerge. Most of the hard rock community
knows of the impressive work Harnell delivered with
famed Norwegian band TNT, but what most people don’t
know is how diversely talented he truly is. With a youthful
17
voice that has matured like a fine wine; still stunningly
powerful, yet uniquely beautiful and lyrics that can effect
change in people, carried by melodies that lodge
themselves deep under the skin, this guy gets to people.
With that said, we are proud to present Tony Harnell the
prolific songwriter. Tony’s strong worldwide fan base
combined with his powerful new sound makes for one hell
of rocket ride. Commencing countdown...enjoy the ride!
Chris Barron is many things to many people: the voice of
the Spin Doctors, the face of the jamband scene, an MTV
superstar, an East Village troubadour, the author of some
of the 1990s’ most enduring radio hits, a father and a
teacher. But these days, the Spin Doctors singer is most at
home when he’s simply playing rock and roll. “You tend to
write yourself into the places you want to play,” Barron
admits. “There was a time when I was writing bedside
songs for the walls of my room, but these days I am
writing what I like to call ‘bar music for big
theaters’—stripped down, honest rock and roll like The
Last Waltz meets Exile on Main Street.” Bursting out of
seminal New York watering holes like Nightingale’s and
Wetlands in the early 1990s, the Spin Doctors helped
popularize the neo-jam scene with their funky, infectious
brand of rock and roll. The group’s marathon high-energy
performances — found the Spin Doctors packing rooms
across the country. The Spin Doctors’ multi-platinum
debut Pocket Full of Kryptonite became a grassroots
success story, spawning ubiquitous hits like “Little Miss
Can’t Be Wrong,” “Jimmy Olsen's Blues” and the chart-
topping “Two Princes.” The group was nominated for a
Grammy, scored the cover of Rolling Stone and shared the
stage with luminaries like the Rolling Stones. Now playing
with his current band, The Time Bandits, Barron finds
himself with another tried-and-true rock band. “You go
and see a lot of solo acts, and they come off as a guy who
pays other dudes to play his songs,” Barron says. “But
from the start I’ve always said ‘let’s form an identity as a
band.’ ” Yet Barron hasn’t forgotten about his best-known
hits. “I love those songs, and we continue to play them,” he
assures fans. “The cool thing is that
we started goofing around with
some of those old songs and I said,
‘don’t listen to the Spin Doctors
version and don’t worry about
remaking certain parts. Let’s make
them our own, but make them
recognizable.’ We’re not going to do
‘Little Miss Can’t be Wrong’ as a
tango or ‘Two Princes’ as bossa
nova.’” “The reason classic-rock
became classic is that it was rooted
in the music that came before
classic-rock,” Barron firmly states.
“Bands like The Rolling Stones and
The Band were standing on the
shoulders of giants— guys who
weren’t making any money but they
knew how to rock. My former
teacher, Arnie Lawrence, used to
Chris say that the only time anyone really
sings the blues is when a baby cries
before it knows it is going to get
Barron picked up. After that it’s all show
business
18
A few weeks ago Trail released their album "To the Rest
of the World" and I am sold on this album. I asked the
guys a few questions and here are their answers.
The
More You
Listen
the More
You'll
Find
50K MM: For all those who don't
know you yet please tell us something
about Trail. Where do you come
from, what are your roots?
Trail: We are all London born and
raised except Minco who we don’t
really know but he has a strong
Belgian accent when he tries to speak
English.
50K MM: You have produced your
album “To the Rest of the World”
together with Matt Wallace over the
last few months. Please tell us
something about this time.
Trail: We spent a month in L.A.
recording it which was 1 week of fine-
tuning the songs in a rehearsal room
and then 3 weeks of intense
recording at Matt's studio. We
wanted a very rich sounding record
so we layered each song with multiple
guitar parts and vocals. To get it all
done in time we were doing 10am-
10pm every day for 3 weeks which
was pretty tiring but we are very
happy with the results.
50K MM: Your album has been
reviewed quite different, it got a great
review from Kerrang! rock magazine.
How do your fans like the album?
Trail: The reaction from the fans has
been very positive and that’s always
the main thing. It’s great to get
recognition from magazines like
Kerrang! but it’s our fans who are the
ones who believed in us from the
start and come and support us at
gigs.
50K MM: How have the fan-funding
of your album and the album
production changed your life?
Trail: Without our fans we wouldn't
be who we are today and without our
investors we wouldn't have had the
chance to go to LA and record with
Matt. The Slicethepie method of
funding is very good for bands in the
position we were in because it
recognised the promise we showed as
songwriters and gave us the means to
become a finished product. We are all
very grateful to everyone who saw the
potential in us and got behind us, it
was a really exciting time as we hit
our target whilst we were in LA, that
was a good night out!
50K MM: What are your plans to
promote the album? Will your fans
be involved in promotion activities as
well?
Trail: As much gigging as possible,
trying to get the songs airplay,
synched to TV shows, social
networking and yes we want to get
our fans involved in this as much as
possible.
50K MM: Do we have a chance to
see you on stages throughout Europe
soon?
Trail: We really hope so. We are
doing a mini tour of the UK at the
moment and hopefully Europe will be
the next stop. Watch this space.
50K MM: How can we support you
promoting your album?
Trail: Tell your friends about us,
post links to our videos on your
myspace and facebook profiles and
just help spread the word. If you have
a venue near you that you’d like us to
play at let us know and we’ll see what
we can do.
50K MM: And last question: Please
tell us one thing about you and your
music everybody should know.
Trail: The more you listen the more
you’ll find!

Tee Art Competition
celebrates it’s first birthday in March.
That’s why I have thought about a
competition for designers (hobby and
professional) – the 50K MUSIC Tee Art
Competition.
There are two awards to win:
1. the 50K MUSIC Customer Award –
the community decides by poll – 20
SellaBand Gift Parts* is the prize + 50%
of the net earnings of the prize winning
tee sales,
2. the 50K MUSIC Special Award –
awarded by 50K MUSIC – prize: 10
SellaBand Gift Parts* + 50% of the net
earnings of the prize winning tee sales.
19
And here are the rules of this competition:
- everyone can take part to create an eye-
catching indie music artwork t-shirt,
- the topic is independent (SellaBand)
music (sure you can include 50K MUSIC,
the MAG, the first birthday),
- artwork in .png, .jpg, .gif or .bmp – min.
50 x 50 px, max. 3,000 x 3,000 px
- images/artwork may not infringe third
party rights.
The Competition runs until 31st March
2010.
Please send questions and your artwork
to mario(at)50kmusic.com
* SellaBand T&Cs do apply
20
Greetings from the
Kiwisofa
Well despite all the changes at Sellaband work has
continued on the Aly Cook Album at http://www.alan
jansson.com
I flew to Auckland last week of February and laid the guide
tracks for the first 6 songs for the Aly Cook album are in
progress.
Here in myhome town I help to run a charity event called
Taste Tasman. The main guest performer was Sharon
O'Neill http://www.sharononeill.com.au who is from my
town originally and is a NZ & Australian music icon..
I performed in the backing band with Sharon O'Neill on
Sunday 7th of March, 2010.
On Wednesday 10th of March I organised as a side event
to Taste Tasman, the sounds of Tasman Music Seminar
where Sharon and her husband Alan Mansfield spoke,
Alan spent 25 years in the studio and on the road with
Robert Palmer, also with Dragon, Bette Midler & UB40.
He was a wealth of knowledge and great to work with on
stage.
Aly Cook tells us the news
about the progress of the
album production
The seminar also had figures from APRA and NZ Music
commission who spoke on songwriting, copyright etc. Also
flying to speak at the conference was producer Alan
Jansson. After the conference we went the vocal booth at
the local radio station where Sharon put a guest vocal on
on "Brand New Day" One of the songs on my album and
my co-vocalists here in Nelson Kate Holland and Chrissie
Small did a vocal on "Grow" . Katie also played the Boran
on GROW.. So we are making progress. Next Trip to the
studio in Auckland will be 22nd to the 26th of April to
probably start laying in backing vocals in. Other players
are being bought in in my absense
to build the tracks up.
Here is an article on Taste Tasman in the local paper
about the gig has some comment from me on it www.
stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/entertainment/3403361/80s-
rock-chick-returns
Someone who originally set up my facebook fanpage ..
chose to start posting in my name and I had to delete my
Fanpage on facebook. So I have new one http://www.
facebook.com/alyrecord If your on Facebook if you could
please join it .. and then suggest to friends or post on your
page that would be really helpful !!
All for now .. Don't forget to come join me on
http://www.kiwisofa.tv
I am producing, manufacturing, autographing and
sending out to my believers from NZ.
Therefore I am gathering contact info for my believers for
sending your CDs and also who you would like your CDs
autographed too. Under sellaband's policy I have to give
you the option to have direct contact with me. I would
prefer it is you did, as I can keep you directly informed
about the project. However it is totally your choice.
Please contact me if you have not already done so. on
alyC@xtra.co.nz
The Kiwi Sofa is on air every Saturday at 22.00 CET on
www.kiwisofa.tv - watch it and chat with Aly.

On Stage with ...
Francis Rodino
(UBG) So we’re on the tube schlepping to The O2 Arena
and bump into Nik Hollis, which is nice. Never having
been to the O2, or indeed the smaller IndigO2 venue,
before it’s great to have Nik leading the way … and what a
way! I knew the place was massive but was still bowled
over by the scale of it. It’s a large town in a tent!
We let Nik wander in and we go grabbed a bite to eat at
one of the very many restaurants which unfortunately
meant we missed Tamanda and most of Jetson (jazz
funky). Chasing Ora had a great sound with a good female
lead vocal. The Brays were really great and worth a look
for sure. After Francis, and headlining, were Kubla Kahn
and it’s a good job it’s a big stage as there were load so
them, including a brass section. They put on a good show
and would make a good night out!
As many of you may know, Francis has been working with
Ruth Lorenzo, of X-Factor fame, and it was great to see
Ruth and Diana Vickers in the crowd, not to mention Jen
Delaney who I’d seen the previous night singing with Dan
Ward-Murphy.
The Boys came out to much cheering from the crowd and
with a much shorter wait than usual, Francis runs out to
join them and they kick it with one of the new ones, Other
Side. This is fast and furious and doesn’t fail to grab the
attention of the crowd. Fran pulls the crowd in, always
giving us the usual 110% and the crowd gives it right back
as Don’t Say Never takes over, followed by Burn. All these
Circles and Squares tracks are so great to hear live and
they continue with Walk With Me, Science, and Drink
always fires the crowd up, and tonight is no exception, and
the crowd are jumping.
The lads leave Francis to play More Than Before on his
own on his acoustic guitar. I love this song and even
though this set seems shorter than usual (though I don’t
think it was much shorter, just time flies at an FRB gig!)
it’s great to break up the tracks in this way.
The boys return for the last one as Any Day Now closes the
FRB Show. Good Job guys! Great songs, but then we
already knew that. Huge presence and energy on stage,
and again, anyone who's see you live already knows that
too!
As some of you may know, Francis Rodino has setup a
FanFunding page on PledgeMusic to get them back into
the studio to record an EP. He’s been lucky enough to
secure Steve Bush (Stereophonics, Corinne Bailey Rae, and
of course our very own Francis!) as producer again. I say
“lucky” but I’m sure Steve wouldn’t be doing it if he hadn’t
enjoyed the making of Circles and Squares.
Best of luck to Francis on that, and as I write this he’s
around half way to his target already. I’ve got my CD
already paid for and I can’t wait to hear the results and I’m
just so happy to have the opportunity to continue being
ever so small a part of his journey!
21
On Stage with ...
Bim
(UBG) Well here we are in London again, but this time
near Tottenham Court Road, so we obviously swung past
The Pillar’s Of Hercules for a swift half on the way to
PUNK. I’ve been wanting to see Bim (AKA Tim Davis and
Rebecca Rosier) live for quite some time now ‘cos I love
their self titled EP which they so kindly gave me at a
Francis Rodino gig a few years ago.
I loved the well crafted songs with the beautiful melodies
and the fit of Tim and Rebecca’s voices which seem to
harmonise together so well. Could they do it live was the
question and Saturday at Punk was going to provide the
answer ...
Yes. Yes they can. They’ve got a band behind them (who’s
names I don’t know) and Tim on keys and laptop (oh how
the music biz has changed eh!) and Rebecca in her hug
rug. As any who know of Bim will attest, there’s a depth of
production about Bim music that requires the playing of
samples (if that’s the right word?), hence the laptop.
Whether that makes playing live alongside easier or
harder I couldn’t comment, except that it at least looked
easy.
After a new (as yet unnamed) track to kick off their set we
were treated to The Battle which has long been my
favourite from their EP with the finely interwoven aural
textures somewhat reminiscent of the later Tears For
Fears songs ... and I simply love it! I was sceptical as to
whether they could pull it off live because there seemed to
be so much in it, so many layers, but it was a real treat to
hear it performed live ... that’s exactly what I wanted.
Many Thanks!
After A Loving Side, which is new to me, but undoubtedly
“Bim”, we were treated to another from their EP – Ready
To Love which continues to provide the Bim experience of
finely crafted songs with haunting harmonisation from
Tim and Rebecca. Another new (at least to me!) one
Today’s The Day follows and builds the impression of Bim
having the beginnings of a formidable repertoire of
cracking tunes. A tight schedule for the evening means
they skip Stay In My Memory and finish their set with a
new (as in very first outing) track Head Over Heels which
nicely completes the Bim portion of the evening and is one
they’re considering for a new album they are looking to
record somehow, somewhen.
Definitely worth coming out to see and I’ll certainly be
keeping an eye out for their next gig too ...
22
My First
Robot
finally a promising newcomer from
Germany again
www.sellaband.com/myfirstrobot
50K MM: Who are you, where do you come from, ...?
Please tell us something about My First Robot.
Ivan: This is a bit complicated. I (Ivan) came to Trier,
Germany because of a job offer in Luxembourg. Since I
spend most of my time making music I instantly started
searching for a suitable band. Luckily Jim (vocals, guitars)
noticed my ad in a local magazine and contacted me. This
happened in September 2009. Jim already had a band
with Stefan (drums) and Christian (bass) but they wanted
to do something new, something that differs from the
generic rock band sound. So we started to experiment a
bit, wrote a few songs and it seems we might have found
our own genre or style: A bit of rock, a lot of electronics
and catchy vocals.
Jurjen's Airplay Challenge
Jurjen started his Airplay Challenge last year and has announced the winners
now. And Airplay Challenge goes to second round this year. So join it!
How important is airplay for an artist? How much
Sellaband-artists reach some airplay for their music? How
can a believer challenge an artist to recruit more airplay?
Many questions, but there is just one answer: to setup an
Airplay Challenge.
The Airplay Challenge 2009 / 2010 did have two real
potential winners:
John C Fraser and Meg and Mark. They have made a great
competition of The Airplay Challenge.
Till the end it was a exciting competition. Meg and Mark
did have evidence that they have reached 21 radiostations
and at the same moment... John C Fraser reached his final
10k with the amazing amount of 23 radiostations.
50K MM: How did you discovered SellaBand?
Ivan: I actually already knew about SAB before. I had a
project there but since back then I was based in Hungary I
couldn't do much to get attention. Most people in the east
don't or wont believe in the concept. It is much easier to
get people involved in Germany or the Benelux.
50K MM: How are you going to convince people to
believe (and invest) in you?
Ivan: We have a good plan. It's simple and we are really
pushing things to happen. Just in February we wrote and
recorded two new songs and had our first photo shooting.
We are only raising 10k and I think that's achievable in
one year. We are also constantly looking into ways of
getting fans more involved; we have a principle to give
It made John C Fraser the first undisputed winner of The
Airplay Challenge.
Many bands contacted Jurjen that they wanted to join. But
most were not able to qualify. The threshold of at least 10
stations was to high. These bands can learn from the
current finalists... it is possible for an independent artist
with sufficient quality, energy and courage to qualify.
Airplay is important for the artistname / brand and for the
future of the performer(s). Without attention no interest!
So, the show must go on. The competition continues for a
new year. Will Meg and Mark be the next winner? Or will
there be new qualifiers with amazing results? We see in
The Airplay Challenge 2010 / 2011.
 23

everyone a CD for free who comes to our show. Since you
buy the ticket you should get a CD. Investing in ourselves
is another important point. Even if we have to cover half of
the 10k we are happy because fans helped us raising
money.
50K MM: You have raised about 2% of the budget so far.
Have you thought about the time after reaching the goal of
10k yet? What are your plans then?
Ivan: As soon as we reach our goal we are going to hit the
studio without delay. By then we will have all the songs
written that we want to put on the album. When we have
the CD ready we are going to hit the road and tour Europe.
On the tour we will massively promote and give away our
CD on each show. Since this is our first album it has to be
perfect and basically free for people who pay to see us.
50K MM: And last question: How can we support you to
speed up raising your budget?
Ivan: These are hard times for bands on SAB. Believers
are busy pulling money out of projects and it is very hard
to convince people to invest in us. I think being in the 50k
mag is great for a start. The best way to support us is to
invest. We think that SAB is a great concept and it should
work when the people behind it have the proper
knowledge. But most importantly we need to make great
music and there's still a long way to go.
www.sellaband.com/projects/myfirstrobot

r i b e t o
S u bs c

Newsletter
on www.50kmusic.com
... and be the first to
know when

is out!
24
www.sellaband.com/sunsetriot
50K MM: Who are you, where do you come from, ...?
Please tell us something about Sunset Riot.
SR: Sunset Riot is a 5 piece hard rock band from Western
Sydney. We've been together for around 10 months now
and have been gigging solidly for 9. We all love music that
is uplifting and heavy hitting, music that is played
passionately and that is inspiring or moving in some way.
Sometimes live music can become a bit stale so we strive
to make our live stage shows as energetic, explosive and
entertaining as possible. Recently we recieved a call from
producer Steve James (Cold Chisel, Screaming Jets,
Mental As Anything, Airbourne, Guitar Hero World Tour)
who wanted to cut a record with us. We are currently
working together to produce our very first EP; which is
very exciting!
50K MM: How did you discovered SellaBand?
SR: We actually discovered SellaBand thru Classic Rock
Magazine. I (Del) happened to be browsing thru and
Sunset
noticed a small article on Japanese rock band Electric Eel
Riot
Very promising
newcomers coming
from Australia - listen
to their music!
Shock. In the article they mention that they funded their
first record thru SellaBand so I thought I'd check it out.
50K MM: How are you going to convince people to
believe (and invest) in you?
SR: We are very much a grassroots band. We write about
everyday issues dilemmas, problems etc. We have a drink
with fans after the show and we interact with fans during
the show. We intend to continue building our fanbase as
well as fan commitment by contant communication (thru
blogs, video-logues, updates etc). We do regular updates
on our youtube channel (www.youtube.com/sunsetriot)
which helps to build a sense of community. Everybody
wants to feel like they 'belong' an we recorgnize that we
cannot do this on our own. This is a journey and we
encourage participation, the whole 'let's do this together'
attitude.
50K MM: You have raised about 3% of the budget so far.
Have you thought about the time after reaching the goal of
15k yet? What are your plans then?
SR: We have in fact thought about what we could do with
the money once its raised, in fact the sooner the better,
haha! The plain and simple truth in the music industry is
that you MUST advertise and you MUST tour; both of
which cost money. Our plan is to make a hard as steel rock
record, then advertise and tour as much as we can.
Overseas (Europe, Asia) touring is a big goal, there are so
many more people there which means our chances of
playing to bigger crowds rise substantially.
50K MM: And last question: How can we support you to
speed up raising your budget?
SR: I thought you'd never ask ;) Any sort of promotion is
great, simply by running a story on us you've helped us
already, featuring a link to our myspace or facebook (or
both) and SellaBand page, mentioning our name,
publishing followup interviews or directing people to our
youtube page so fans can get to know us better. As I said
before we feel like we are a grassroots rock band, we put
on a pretty full on stage show but we'll always be 'the
people's band' so get to know us :)
 25

Artist News (II)

Fleur Jack
(from her newsletter)
Combining alt-country, pop, folk, and rock, Pavlova and
The Jandals is a collaborative project between five prolific
Auckland musicians, all of whom play in other well known
bands. The band formed in winter 2009 and recorded
their 14 track album live over a weekend in ‘The
Commune’ in the wild west of Waitakere. Their Auckland
shows have been such a sold-out success that they have
decided to take it on the road, to the rest of NZ. It will be
the first time that the Pavlova and the Jandals crew have
gathered together outside of their hometown of Auckland
and they are excited to share their creations with the
country.
her two new songs "Nunca Dejes de Hacerme el Amor"
and "Me Marcho de Aqui", will available on itunes! Check
up all her upcoming events/updates at LilyVasquez.com!
Alive 'n' Kicking
(from Africa Unsigned's newsletter)
Have no fear, we’re busy bees behind the scene putting the
finishing touches to Africa Unsigned. So get ready the
countdown is approaching when we’ll be ready to propel
the project into the world. Even at this fledgling stage we
have 100 supporters who have chipped in more than
$1000. As pioneers you are sparking a true music
revolution, leading the way for others to then follow, just
like the dancing man:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ. So a
big thank you to all our supporters and keep spreading the
good music!

Alex Highton
(from his newsletter)
at SUMMER SUNDAE FESTIVAL
Just got the news from BPA Live that I've been booked for
the Summer Sundae Festival in Leicestershire. One of the
best festivals in the country. If you happen to be going
along please track me down and say hello.
www.summersundae.com

Upcoming Gigs
Featuring Fleur Jack (The Twitch, Kiwi Fm), Chris
31st March - What's Cookin', Leytonstone, London -
Howard (The Sproutts), Simon Ross (Yebiisu, We Dunno),
www.whatscookin.co.uk
Joel Vinsen (Black Sand Diva), and Todd Beeby (Kitsch,
1st May - Unitarian Chapel, Bury St Edmunds, in aid of
Dr Colossus, Coach), Pavlova and the Jandals has a diverse
Action Medical Research
and distinctly Kiwi flavour. With four songwriters, and
11th June - The Institue, Kelvedon, Essex -
such a wide pool of experience and style, Pavlova and the
www.liveattheinstitue.co.uk
Jandals delivers a vibrant and original show, with band
20th June - The Beehive Pub, Swindon - Sunday Afternoon
members swapping instruments between sets, having a
21st June - The North Devon Music Festival, Barnstaple
laugh and generally keeping it tight and heavily
14th August - The Summer Sundae Music Festival,
entertaining. Their sound has been described as “I'll wash,
Musician's Stage, Leicestershire
you dry”. Pavlova and the Jandals’ debut album will be
released at the Kings Arms in Newton, Auckland on 15th
April. Following this show they will be travelling the
country, purveying their original brand of deep, snappy
and fluid dynamism at a venue near you. Do not miss it.

For more information, contact:

http://www.facebook.com/pavlovaandthejandals
Email: rangirecords@gmail.com

Lily Vasquez
... is Back! (from her newsletter)
... with her new Video for "Nunca Dejes de Hacerme el
Amor"! Two New Singles to be on iTunes soon!

After her last hit release of "Pasion de Mujer", Lily

Vasquez returns to the stage more sexy than ever! Soon