The Power of Young Women Drumming

(Posting for our friends at Terra Rising)

Over this last year, we've had several meetings and participated in several radio show interviews sharing our vision for Terra Rising. We have been challenged to express through words the power of music to heal and connect communities. Although we have worked earnestly to communicate the importance of music education and music therapy programs as a vital asset to our communities, nothing beats seeing the power of music to heal and connect communities. This video featuring The Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP) does just that. Please take a few minutes to see this video and SHARE IT with your networks.

UNIVERSAL MUSICARE is all about live music helping music thrive! It is our way at Terra Rising of putting action to our desire to see a world where the arts and creativity are interwoven into our communities. YWDEP is an outstanding organization that needs support from all of us to continue to serve all of us. We are very proud to have YWDEP as the benefitting organization for our upcoming event February 23rd at Artisphere. Come meet some of the girls and learn more about YWDEP. Remember to bring your dancing shoes and your Djembe, if you have one.

IT WILL BE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

Terra Rising Launches New and Improved Website

TERRA RISING LAUNCHES NEW AND IMPROVED WEBSITE
Universal MusiCare Promotional Video Featured

Washington D.C.

Independent film and record label, Terra Rising Records is re-launching their website (www.Terra-Rising.com) with a promotional video for their Universal MusiCare concert series SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2013 at in Arlington, Virginia. The Universal MusiCare promo features the organization we are sponsoring, Young Women Drum (www.youngwomendrum.com) as well as the artists performing that evening.

Universal MusiCare is a concept developed by Terra Rising to partner with local music education and music therapy organizations to raise funds by producing live events that highlight the local music and arts scene in Washington DC. Terra Rising is excited to feature the photography of Snapshots by Sam Maloney as well as the music of The Grey Area and Howlin Bends. The night will also be accented by the beautiful and energetic dance of a local Bhangra group.

For the past year, Terra Rising Records has been on the road, filming a feature length documentary, The Case For Music to help show the power music has, to heal and connect communities featuring Music Therapy, Music Education, and Live Music. Universal MusiCare is the physical extension of what the documentary hopes to accomplish. Through their collaborative efforts Terra Rising hopes to build a better music community for the musicians and artists here now, and those that will come after.
"From The Ground UP"

www.Terra-Rising.com
www.facebook.com/TerraRisingRecords
@RisingTerra

L*A*W - Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album for 'Tha Planet 12 Syndrome'

1. Who are your musical influences and what inspires you to create?
Prince, Funkadelic, Chicago, N.W.A, Public Enemy, Bruce Springsteen, Carly Simon, KISS, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Rakim, The Commodores, Big Daddy Kane, Sly & The Family Stone, New Edition, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Run-DMC, Vanilla Fudge & The Isley Brothers... Life Situations, Television, Cartoons, Action Movies & Strong Women are what inspire me to create.

2. What is your opinion on the current state of the music industry and what are the pros/cons of being an independent artist?
The current state of the music industry is in a state of emergency & needs a serious face lift & surgery... The pro of being an Independent Artist is being able to do music your own way with full artistic creative freedom... The con is a situation like mine where you have to do everything yourself which can be time consuming but even with that, it's still a pro too.

3. If you could spend an hour with any musician, living or dead, who would it be, and why?
Stevie Wonder, Peter Cetera, Maurice White Of Earth, Wind & Fire because I want to express to them that unlike the common fans that was just there for the hits, I was into the whole albums.

4. What are your aspirations for 2013 and beyond?
To conquer the music industry & have some influence in it... be a major star but still having my traditional music values & TO INSPIRE OTHERS.

5. How do you feel to have won a LadyLake Indie Award?
It's a honor & serious blessing to be recognized for the pure musical mission I'm on especially after some other major & even independent record labels didnt see the vision! This indie award reminds me that my mission & hard work is not in vain!!

To learn more about L*A*W, please visit the following links:

www.planet12law.com

www.twitter.com/planet12law

www.facebook.com/lawplanet12

www.facebook.com/planet12productions

Loretta Hagen - Best Folk Female for 'Mud and Stone'

Who are your musical influences and what inspires you to create?
I have so many I could fill pages but, my important earliest influences were Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Karla Bonoff and Bonnie Raitt. I wore their albums out! Over the years I drew inspiration from bands like Fleetwood Mac, The Pretenders, REM. Sheryl Crow, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea, Kim Richey, Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, John Gorka, Kevin Welch, Emmylou Harris, the list goes on and on.
What inspires me to write?
Lots of things!
A drive in the country, a walk on a warm, sunny day. The mountains, love, loss, happiness, friends, family, life events, special causes such as raising awareness for Alzheimer's Disease, poverty and economical struggles, books, movies, tv shows! Whatever is in my heart that I need to be express.

What is your opinion on the current state of the music industry and what are the pros/cons of being an independent artist?
The music industry today has changed drastically in good ways and bad. One of the pros today, of course, is your music can reach many people on the internet through YouTube, pod-casts, internet radio, iTunes, social media etc. So many artists and bands have built a huge fan base without a record company. As long as you have the computer savvy to do so and the time to spend at it, you can do well atcontrolling your own indie career. But still, with all that at your fingertips, unless you are very good at marketing, lots of us still need a team to help get our music out to the public. One of the cons of being an indie artist is that the economy has hit the music industry as a whole very hard, making it tough for artists to get work as much as they would like too. It's more about numbers and filling the seats in lots of venues today instead of being about the music. That is unfortunate because people who attend shows are missing out on lots of great, undiscovered talent, but understandable, that the venues need funds to stay afloat too! It is crucial that fans get out to hear their favorite artists because without them, those artists and bands careers can not thrive. There are still venues who take a chance on indie and unknown artists and we appreciate them so much! Another con is people aren't buying CD's as much today. They prefer to download songs, so they may choose to buy only one or two songs and not give the entire album a chance. On the other side of that, if they like what they hear, they can always go back and download more.

If you could spend an hour with any musician, living or dead, who would it be, and why?
I'd have to say Joni Mitchell. I would love to be in the presence of a genius! I was such a Joni freak that one time, when I had tickets to see her in concert, I was fighting the flu and had a very high fever the day of the show. Did I stay home in bed? Of course not! I could not miss that show!! Joni shaped the lives of so many female singer-songwriters of my generation. I think I would fall over myself if I got the chance to meet her!

What are your aspirations for 2013 and beyond?
For 2013, I hope to get out and perform more, doing shows in areas that I haven't had the opportunity to get to. I would love to write and record another album. I hope to continue on this journey that I love being on for as long as people will listen.

How do you feel to have won a LadyLake Indie Award?
It is a thrill and an honor to be a LadyLake winner. This is my second win and it feels great to be recognized for the work not only that I have put into this album, but all who worked on it with me. Writing is hard work, though very rewarding, it's always nice to hear you're doing something right!! Cindy and Jen are sweet, hard working women and I am so happy they included me on their list of winners.

Links and Info:
Management/Publicity: Trespass Music, Michelle Fortier, 519-300-5954, michelle@trespassmusic.org
Radio Promotion: Trespass Music, Tracey Delfino, 774-269-3834 tracey@trespassmusic.org
EPK: http://www.trespassmusic.org/artists/lorettahagen/
Website: http://www.lorettahagen.com
Title Track 'Mud and Stone': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45X3VQzIo6o

The Jellybricks - CD of the Year for ‘Suckers’

1. Who are your musical influences and what inspires you to create?
When The Jellybricks formed in January of 1996, we had all recently watched "The Beatles Anthology" documentary on tv, and therefore, an appreciation for The Beatles was our first common bond. In fact, the first song we learned to play together was "Bad to Me," an early Lennon/McCartney song which was never released by The Beatles. Beyond that, we all mutually appreciate long lists of bands, but we have been known to cover Crowded House, R.E.M., The Smithereens, The Cure, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Cracker and Neil Young, to name a few artists whom we all enjoy. Our overall "sound," though - is one which has evolved over our seventeen years together - it's the sound of four guys who are old enough to know and love the roots of rock'n'roll, but who grew up through the years of metal, punk, new wave and grunge music: old-school songwriting elements played with aggression, emotion, and tempered with an ever-present sense of humor.

As for creative inspiration, we all have individual favorite influences... and we all write songs, so those songs come from our individual lives, experiences, observations, and as much as anything, a commitment to entertaining our listeners with new music.

2. What is your opinion on the current state of the music industry and what are the pros/cons of being an independent artist?
We had already released two CDs by the time Napster came along, and the elements of the music industry began to change rapidly around us. In the early days, we were courted by several major labels, but no deal ever materialized, so we have been an independent act for every second of our career. It's the only existence we've ever known, and every success, and every loss has belonged to us, on our own terms. I don't think we regret a thing about what has worked for us - kept us together, making new music, playing new places - and that must include the fact that we have never been "signed."

The truth is that to some degree, we stopped paying much attention to the industry many years ago. We got on with writing, playing, performing, and cultivating our relationship with our fans. I suppose that our opinion on the industry doesn't even exist, as of this writing. Luckily for us, we've enjoyed an existence outside of it.

Nowadays, an artist can relate directly to an audience, with the aid of the internet, in ways that were never possible for any version of the old music industry, so while things will never be as they once were, per se - there is still an opportunity for new music to be shared. That's certainly the part that matters most.

3. If you could spend an hour with any musician, living or dead, who would it be, and why?
Everyone who knows me (Larry Kennedy), knows that my personal answer to this question would be Paul McCartney. The Beatles were my first, favorite band from the time I was a child, and to strum a few chords, or ask the questions I'd love to ask about his life and work - would be amazing. As it happens, I know many people who have met him - but we never seem to cross paths...

4. What are your aspirations for 2013 and beyond?
The Jellybricks have been working on new music, to be recorded soon, and very hopefully released in 2013. We are committed to continuing to try to improve our songs, our recordings, and to play more and more places, for more and new listeners. We are a lucky gang, having had so many good musical years together, so every new year is its own gift.

5. How do you feel to have won a LadyLake Indie Award?
We always appreciate it when our work is recognized, and when people like the music we've created. We are proud to receive the LadyLake Indie Award, "CD of the Year" for Suckers. Thank you!

To learn more about The Jellybricks, please visit the following links:

www.thejellybricks.com
www.facebook.com/thejellybricks
www.twitter.com/thejellybricks
www.youtube.com/jellybricks

2012 LadyLake Indie Music Awards

We are excited to announce the winners for the 3rd annual LadyLake Indie Music Awards!

Each year we receive music from indie artists from all over the world and this year was no exception. A special thank you goes out to all the talented bands and artists for participating again this year.

The big moment you have been waiting for is finally here!

And the winners are...

Best Pop Single: Lo Kloza for ‘Hot Air Balloon’
Best Female Vocalist: Naomi Psalm for ‘Stare’
Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album: LAW for ‘Tha Planet 12 Syndrome’
Best Rap/HipHop Single: B Funk for ‘Me Kno Rap’
Best Video: Ilona for ‘It’s 1966’
Best Folk Female: Loretta Hagen for ‘Mud and Stone’
Best Folk Male: Dan Whitehouse for ‘Dan Whitehouse’
Best Classic Rock: Ivory Tower Project for ‘Red Hot’
Best RnB Album: Tali ‘Icepack’ Jackson for ‘Icepack Jackson and Klyph Black’
Best Import Single: Lilyphone for ‘No One Loves Me Like You Do’

Discovery of the Year: American Beauties for ‘Too Worn to Mend’

CD of the Year: Jellybricks for ‘Suckers’

All of these bands are worth a listen and we highly suggest you do so. Coming up will be special features on each of the winners which will give you an inside scoop on who they really are. Stay tuned!

2012 MRU Music Awards

2012 MRU Music Awards Are Fast Approaching!

The finalists have been announced. The winners have been chosen. Only days stand in the way.

This Sunday (Dec 16th) a musical event unlike any other will hit the heart of Dublin as the first MRU Awards shows is set to take place in The Mercantile. From being the premier platform for unsigned acts in Ireland (also representing a huge portion of the UK and elsewhere) MRU is giving back to the artists that helped to make 2012 such a successful year.

The anticipation is building for the awards as musicians and music lovers alike have been connecting and spreading the word online. Here’s just a taste of the conversation -

“It’s an honour to get to the top 5 out of so many other amazing bands” – This Rising Tide
“This is a huge honour for us and we hope to see some of you there to share the moment” - WickerBones
“Congrats to Music Review Unsigned for pulling off the first EVER unsigned awards in Ireland, they are paving the way with BALLS OF STEEL! Wohoooooo :)”– Mama Kaz

What kind of awards show would it be if it didn’t feature some live performances? Well, MRU have that covered as a stellar and diverse line-up will hit the stage and grace their audience and peers with the very best music to highlight the year that was.

Performances on the night will include –
Juliets Rescue
Soldiers Can't Dance
Dave Morrissey
Bennett Vs Matrix
Lorcan James
Fox E & The Good Hands
Terawrizt
Wocko
Frantic Jack
Donna Marie & Michael J
Cash Is King

It’s free in on the night so bring your friends but get down early as it’s sure to fill up quick.
Can’t make the event? Fret not as AER TV and First Online Radio have that covered. MRU are pleased to let you know that regardless of where you are in the world the MRU awards are coming right to you! On Sunday night just head on over to aertv.ie or firstonlineradio.com and tune in!

Remember to keep the anticipation going online on our Facebook, Twitter (@musicreviewU) and use #MRUawards to join in with those at the event or tuning in online!

The awards could not happen of course without the help of our sponsors – Ruby Music, Live Loud Music, Lakeland Studios, DyNaMik Records, David Doyle Photography, NorthSouth Festival, Crux Entertainment, Rockit Music Management, Irish Country Music Radio, NonFloating Records, The ReSessions, Disc & Print Centre, Phonic Studios, Gigs Ireland, NUMU promotions, Linda Welby Law Music.

www.musicreviewunsigned.com