Indielab is all about connecting people and generating new and innovative promotional opportunities for independent music. We love introducing fans to new music and introducing artists to people in the industry who can help them make/sell/promote their new releases. For more information just contact us or join us on MySpace or Facebook. In the meantime, check out the advice sections on Recording, Getting a Deal and Promotion and email us with any feedback.
WE'RE LISTENING TO
Elk
Elk began as a home recording project. Eric Luoma, former singer and frontman for the alt-country band Bellwether, was recording lo-fi acoustic based songs with his wife, Kari on piano and violin. The recordings made their way into the hands of drummer Chadwick Nelson and Bass player Aaron Lundholm, both veterans of the Minneapolis band the Hangups. Soon, the recording project grew into a full-band effort, and the foundation of Tamarack Mansion was in place. elk honed their northern pop sound by playing shows in and around the Twin Cities opening for bands including Midlake and the Owls. Their sound is truly a mix between the earnest folk of Bellwether and pop of the Hangups. Fans of Wilco, Vetiver and the Kinks will find a lot to love about elk.
Elk - Daydreams
Fireman (Paul McCartney & Youth)
Heard a great interview the other day on Zane Lowe's show on Radio 1, Paul McCartney was in talking about his latest collaboration with Producer Youth called Electric Arguments. It's a true psychedelic mash up of noise, guitars and passion which was not so much written as allowed to evolve in the studio. Paul explained that many of the tracks were built out of jams between him and the rest of the band, his lyrics were not written beforehand but improvised as part of the jam. The creative energy and adrenaline of being made to create something on the spot has bled all over the record and the track currently making the promotional rounds "Nothing too much just outta sight" feels like a window into the emotional place he was in when the record was recorded around time his divorce from Heather Mills was grinding it's way through the tabloids. Whatever the psychology behind it it's another great track to tag onto the ever varied McCartney Collection.
Visit StereoGum for more info and the mp3.
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Thomas Traux
Tom Robinson's 6Music show put me on to this complete lunatic by the name of Thomas Truax. He makes his own instruments out of junk in superb Heath Robinson fashion and then proceeds to weave fantastic sonic tapestries with them on stage in what must be of the most unusual and dynamic shows out there at the moment. It may sound like a recipe for disaster and if it wasn't underpinned by an amazing song writing talent then it would just be a mad guy onstage with a bunch of junk - however if you like having your mind bent a bit then it's pure magic. The track on the Indie Music Player is one his more melodic and available for free download from this website, the youtube video features (amongst other guests) his Hornicator!
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TIPS & NEWS FROM THE BLOG
FEATURE: Pop Noodle Records & Cha-Cha - Music Video Promotion
There is a lot of online discussion about the benefits of bands recording music videos when promoting their music online. One camp claims its always good to try and visually grab people's attention and a good video can help you stand out from the crowd, on the other side of the argument are the people who say there are much more productive and cost effective things to spend your budget on. So when this video landed in my inbox from Pop Noodle Record's debut act Cha-Cha (www.myspace.com/wearechacha) I thought I'd get in contact with Pop Noodle Records to find out some more about the band and about their promotional work. READ MORE
About 1,500 artists break the "obscurity line" each year. Less than 1% do it on their own - Tom Silverman
There's a great interview with Tom Silverman from Tommyboy Entertainment on the Musician Coaching blog. Some of the key inflammatory quotes include...
In 2008 there were only 112 (albums) that sold over a quarter of a million. So if you think that the major labels only make money - they can't justify their existence at the size READ MORE
Surface Unsigned Festival
Just a quick heads up that the deadline for entry into the Surface Unsigned Festival is rapidly approaching. The finalists get to play the Surface Unsigned Festival for a range of prizes including the following for the 1st place winner. Check out the website surfaceunsigned.co.uk for details on how to enter the various qualifying events READ MORE
Dropcards - Updated Site
Dropcards.com are seeing in the new year with a new updated website and some new product designs including a really cool service called 45RPM which is designed as a seamless way of packaging digital copies of your music with vinyl releases. In my experience Dropcards.com aren't the cheapest way of producing download cards, mainly because they are based in the US, however the products they make READ MORE
BBC Introducing blog: Q&A with Music Think Tank
There's a great post on the BBC Introducting Blog with a quick interview with Bruce Warila and Andrew Dubber from Music Think Tank. Here are some of the key bits that I found interesting, to read the whole article check out BBC Introducing blog: Q&A with Music Think Tank. What has been your most-read post to date? Bruce: Please Buy READ MORE