Hello ReverbNation!
GigMaven and Mavenly Community,
As of today, we are happy to announce that we have been acquired by ReverbNation, the leading provider of marketing, promotion and social media tools for over 1.7 million artists and music industry professionals in order to help them expand their live performance initiatives.
We started GigMaven to help artists and venues book gigs online with the aim of improving the relationship between artists and venues and the overall live music ecosystem. Although we have primarily focused on working with venues, promoters and festivals, we have been fortunate to get to know a lot of the great companies within the digital music space. As we spent more time with the incredible team at ReverbNation, we could not help but get excited at the prospect of expanding our tools and expertise to help even more musicians and venues and it became increasingly obvious that this would be a natural fit.
So what does this mean for you? As of now, everything at GigMaven will continue to operate normally as we figure out the best way for us to combine forces, so don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything right now. In the near future, we will be reaching out to you regarding next steps and how we’re going to fit together.
Thanks,
The GigMaven Team
GigMaven Artist of The Week: Lion In The Mane
I’ve known about Lion In The Mane for a couple years now; I knew them back when they were The Atlas. Their progression into LITM is impressive, to say the least, and I feel like a proud parent hearing them in their best form yet.
I feel that the best way to describe LITM’s sound is “slick alt-rock”. Their sound is similar to The Dangerous Summer or earlier Brand New. LITM have a certain sophistication in their sound that sets them apart from other band in the “pop-punk” genre.
Henry and Dmitry are fantastic instrumentalists, shredding their respective instruments whenever necessary. Dmitry’s guitar leads are atmospheric, to say the least, and Henry lays down the low frequencies perfectly. Of course when paired with Jon’s fantastic voice and brutally honest lyrics, and Johnny Corryn beating the hell out of the drums, the magic of Lion In The Mane is in full effect. The chemistry between the members of the band is undeniable.
Definitely check these guys out, their sound is fresh, and fielded producer, William Wittman, brought out the best of this band. Their single “The Sort Of Thing” is now available on iTunes, and this song represents LITM’s overall sound perfectly. They rock with a little shine of pop. These guys aren’t joking around.
Make sure to check out Lion In The Mane when they perform at The Bitter End on August 6th.
Amy Winehouse: Another Lost Soul
I always found it pretty remarkable that Amy Winehouse achieved such a major level of fame. She had a beautiful voice, her music maintained a classical pop shine, and every ounce of her music was constructed with soul (not just by Amy, but also her band). The reason why I found this remarkable is because of the state of pop-music in the past 5-10 years. I was always grateful that some one as talented as Amy was in the spotlight.
There is a reason she sang with so much soul. Amy had a tortured soul, and sadly, most of the greatest musicians of all time had tortured souls. The most passionate music tends to stem from sadness and despair, and when a person has the ability to create an album like Back To Black, it is clear that they have a lot of heartbreak and despair held within them.
The 27 Club is clear evidence of this fact. Just look at the names on the list. All of the artists had a massive amount of soul, which they conveyed through their music; and almost all of the artists in the 27 club died from drug related issues. There is a clear connection between tortured souls and drug use.
Sure, music is therapy, it helps one come to terms with the issues that keeps them up at night, but is that really enough? In “Rehab“, Amy sings “I don’t ever wanna drink again/I just need a friend”. Amy got to a point in her life where she no longer gave out cries for help, and her addiction grew stronger than her will to live, but I can’t help but think “what if?”
Addiction is a disease, and it seems to thrive on attacking the most passionate people. Hopefully the future will be brighter and artists will start to discover that there are many ways to find sanity instead of drug use. But for now, I just hope that Amy Winehouse can rest in peace.
R.I.P
GigMaven Artist of The Week: Poetic Republic
I’m always excited when I discover hip-hop groups like Poetic Republic. This is mainly due to the fact that the genre, as it is today, is so full of vapid nonsense. When it comes to artists like Poetic Republic, I am reminded of a time where A Tribe Called Quest was in the spotlight, and jazz influenced hip-hop was actually in the spotlight.
Poetic Republic’s logo perfectly conveys the feel of their music. Under the “genre” tab on facebook PR described themselves as “Hip-Hop, Black, Rock, Soul”. All of these descriptions are appropriate for PR, but the one that strikes me the most is “Black”. At first, I wasn’t really sure how music could sound “black” but then I listened to PR’s song, “The Blackest Man Alive”. This song is honest, and that is what I love in music. The members of Poetic Republic are incredibly proud of who they are and that is what their music is about – who they are as people and as a collective. They identify with African-American culture/history, they identify with jazz music, and they identify with soul. Just because they are a hip-hop group at face value doesn’t mean the don’t identify with all types of music.
A wide range of influences is clear in Poetic Republic’s music. There are jazz flute loops, orchestra samples, and hard hitting drums among the some of the tracks on PR’s GigMaven page. The incorporation of live instrumentation adds to the honest and genuine feel of the lyrics. PR’s overall sound can be described as organic. This is the type of music born out of a group of people that are naturally talented musician. They were born to make music, and I’m very happy that they chose to follow this path with their lives.
Show Review: Taking Back Sunday + Thursday
Tour Poster.
I like to call this tour the “Days of the Week Tour” …for obvious reasons.
Both Taking Back Sunday and Thursday are highly influential bands in the alt-rock scene. They embarked on this tour together (with The Colour Revolt and The New Regime as opening acts) in support of the albums both bands recently released. In June, TBS released their self-titled album with the freshly reformed original line-up that created the neo-classic “Tell All Your Friends”. In mid April, Thursday released their critically acclaimed “No Devolución”. Last night, both bands played at the sold-out Best Buy Theater (formally known as Nokia Theater).
I had never heard of The New Regime before, but they were pretty cool. They only played five songs, and their performance was passionate and energetic. It was cool to see this type of band with big acts like Taking Back Sunday and Thursday.
After The New Regime finished up, Colour Revolt took the stage. Colour Revolt were similar to the New Regime in their presence and talent, except I knew their material previously and was a big fan. I only knew a couple songs by Colour Revolt, and the ones I know are worth checking out (e.g. 8 years & The Cradle). The issue with Colour Revolt, however, is they’re not a very good band for novice listeners. What I mean by that is, you can only truly appreciate the band if you know the recorded versions of their songs. They almost rework every aspect of their songs when they play live, and it is very cool to see this take place. Again, it was nice to see an obscure band take the stage with bands like Taking Back Sunday and Thursday.
When Thursday took the stage, the show really started to take off. It was clear that the crowd was here for the latter two bands, and the crowd erupted when Thursday burst into “Fast To The End” from their new album “No Devolución”. Thursday sounded great. The guitar and bass tones perfectly replicated the sounds on the album, and vocalist, Geoff, sang perfectly. There was a simple mixing issue, however, with Geoff’s voice. On the latest album, Geoff’s voiced is mixed and produced in a fashion where it almost melds in with the instrumentation. I think this was a unique spin that made the album even better, but when this is replicated live it affects all the songs they play– even the ones from previous albums that don’t use this style. Nonetheless, the band brought their A-game. In fact, my biggest complaint was probably the crowd. The people in the audience seemed to have no interest in the songs the band played off of their new album, which is really unfortunate. I understand that “Full Collapse” is a classic album for many people, but the songs on “No Devolución” are some of the best and most mature stuff the band has ever written. I was skeptical about how these songs would translate to a live setting, but I was pleasantly surprised. The transition was flawless. I wish more people could have appreciated that. Other than that, the set list was good, but short. It contained an appropriate amount of old tunes and an appropriate amount of material from “No Devolución”.
Thursday’s Set list:
Thursday got the crowd going nuts. It was clear that we were ready for more, and Taking Back Sunday not only delivered, but also beat the crowd with everything they had. The set started of with sirens blasting into their first single of their self-titled album, “El Paso”. From then on, Taking Back Sunday played a relentless set full of older material. In fact, this is one of my largest complaints, I wish they played more material from their new album. However, it seemed that the crowd was perfectly fine with TBS’s choice in songs, because it was literally impossible to stand in one place during the show. The energy rebounding between the band and the crowd was extremely evident. It was a challenge to hear the band through the sea of fans singing along to every word vocalist, Adam Lazzara, and guitarist/vocalist, John Nolan, sang. I was surprised that Nolan’s vocals actually cut through the madness, because the last two times I saw TBS, Nolan was barely audible. It was nice to hear TBS in this form. Similar to Thursday, all band’s tones perfectly replicated the sound of their recorded work. John Nolan sounded phenomenal, vocally and instrumentally. Adam Lazzara sang his heart out, and his voice improves every time I see TBS perform. Still, when it comes to hitting those higher notes, Adam falls short. TBS make up for every little shortcoming or flaw with the passion in their performance. It was tiring to even watch the band play. They still have the energy they had at 20. Due to a NYC curfew the band couldn’t play an encore, but Adam made up for it by jumping into the crowd (with a sprained ankle) and walking around the entire venue and singing the last two songs of the night.
Last night reminded me that both Taking Back Sunday and Thursday still, and will probably always will, have it. Amazing show.
Taking Back Sunday’s Set list:
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(Straylight Run cover)
GigMaven Artist of the Week: La Veda
It seems that truly soulful R&B is getting harder and harder to find these days. That is why La Veda is a rare breed. La Veda is a relatively new artist from Baltimore, and I’m sure it won’t be long until her name becomes well-known among the local scene. I can only hope that she heads up North soon, so I can see this music come to life in person.
La Veda’s music is almost therapeutic. Her soothing voice perfectly complements the slow, but groovy instrumentals. La Veda cuts straight to the point in her music; the music & lyrics in her songs are incredibly sexual. Her music is as passionate as it gets. At the top of my head, La Veda can be compared to the late and great Aaliyah.
La Veda has two songs posted on her GigMaven page and I’m sure she will post more in the future. Both songs, “Second Skin” and “Strip Down”, breath passion and sex. One of my favorite moments is the saxophone solo in “Strip Down”. It throws a Jazz feel into the song, and is a great example of La Veda’s ability to create an atmosphere for her music. La Veda has the potential to bring soulful R&B back into the spotlight, and I can’t wait to hear what she does next.
Review: The Wonder Years – Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing
The Wonder Years describe themselves as “realist pop-punk”. This title is extremely appropriate for the Philidelphia based pop-punk band that’s been playing together since 2005. In the time since its formation, the band has been trying to figure out exactly what its music is all about. The band’s most recent album, “Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing” (a reference to Allen Ginsberg’s poem, “America”), has achieved this task.
After last year’s “The Upsides” The Wonder Years has been riding a wave of independent success, especially on websites such as www.absolutepunk.net or www.altpress.com. The Wonder Years is a rare breed of pop-punk that doesn’t whine about some break-up they experienced in high school. The reason people relate to The Wonder Years is rooted in the fact that every note the band plays is filled to the brim with passion and emotion. Every lyric Dan “Soupy” Campbell belts is incredibly personal (“No one knows where they’re going/They just know they want out of here badly/They’re like cigarettes dropped on a highway/They smash and scatter and burn out somewhere else without knowing” — from “Hoodie Weather”). It’s evident that listeners are sick of music that is devoid of any sense of passion or emotion, which seems to be the standard today.
On “Suburbia…” the raw emotion is more evident than ever, and Soupy pours everything out of himself vocally and lyrically. He is incredibly honest, especially about himself; he embraces his flaws (“I can’t get my footing steadied in all of this/I’m always ducking swings or looking over my shoulder/When I should be making progress” — from “My Life As A Pigeon”). The instrumentals are the tightest they’ve ever sounded in The Wonder Years. Bassist Josh Martin and drummer Mike Kennedy lock together to lay a solid foundation for the brilliant guitar leads from Casey Cavaliere and Nick Steinbon. Catchy and melodic guitar leads have become a staple in The Wonder Year’s sound. The production is appropriate for the band’s sound. Sonically, the ideal amount of polish is laid on the guitar and bass tones, but none of the rawness in the music is lost. Soupy’s voice is especially raw, and this works much better with his lyrics, compared to the cleaner sound of his voice in “The Upsides”.
When it comes to the songs themselves, “Suburbia…” is fairly dynamic. As stated before, many of the songs are loud and fast – which works perfectly for The Wonder Years. Songs such as “Suburbia” and “You Made Me Want To Be A Saint” are even under two minutes. However, this is what the songs ask for. To give the full punishing effect of these songs, they need to be short and relentless. By the time they’re done, it leaves the listener begging for more. I was pleased to find a couple of slower moments on the record. The tracks “I’ve Given You All” and “I Won’t Say the Lord’s Prayer” are the slowest songs on the record, tempo wise. Again, this is exactly how the songs need to be played in order to reach their full potential. The latter track, “I Won’t Say the Lord’s Prayer” is possibly the most personal track on “Suburbia…”. As Soupy belts “If we’re all just Christians or Lions/Then I think I’d rather be/on the side with sharper teeth/I don’t need saving” it’s clear that Soupy, along with the other members of The Wonder years really don’t need saving. Music is the band’s therapy. The members have some demons they need to confront, and it is remarkable that a listener can slide on a pair of headphones to hear them fight these demons.
The Wonder Years have created an emotionally relentless monster. Not only is the album filled with passion, but it is also catchy. When a melody doesn’t get stuck in my head, a guitar lead does. If a song doesn’t contain a catchy melody or guitar lead, then a creative bass fill will get stuck in my head. Every song has it’s signature moments. “Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing” proves that catchy music with pop capabilities can also overflow with raw emotion.
