April 28, 2016

Center Stage - Spaceship

We're pleased to introduce the newest Center Stage artist, Spaceship - A songer-singwriter-instrumentalister with a fun pop-folk-alternative sound that has been described as 'Beatlesque,' 'Neil Youngish,' 'Beck-like', and 'Beach Boysian.' In addition to his work as a musician, Spaceship is also a Resident Curator at actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt's production company HitRecord, through which his songs "The Spaces Between" and "Of The Future" were produced for the Emmy-winning TV series Hit Record On TV. 

His music has also been featured in commercials and online videos, such as the Refinery29 web series Beauty Prep School, which featured  his song "Sweet Marie Bee." Nels Cline of the band Wilco described his 2014 album Shake Time Loose as "super crafty and well-produced ... I truly appreciated its sincerity, craft, and unignorable talent and vision," or as his good friend Stevie Collins puts it, "He equals musical awesomesauce." 

Sweet Marie Bee was one of our Top 10 songs in the recent Radio Airplay 2016 Spring Song Contest, and we believe very deservedly. The lighthearted whistle-along-to feel bring forth much more than a spring and flowers state of mind. It's a tasteful and honest expression of infatuation and desire. 

We're truly loving what we're hearing from this talented artist, and look forward to see what's to come in what's sure to be a long and successful musical career. 

Describe your sound in one ramble-on sentence 
If I were to describe my sound, it would be something akin to if Wilco and Beck had a musical baby that wanted to sing like the Beach Boys and/or the Zombies, write songs like Bob Dylan and/or Paul Simon, and play all the instruments like Paul McCartney and/or Stevie Wonder, but couldn't really do that because such is impossible, and so did the best it could to be the best musical baby it could be.

What's your earliest music-related memory growing up? 
My earliest music-related memory would have to be singing in a church children's choir. We were encouraged to sing as loud as we could, not worrying about whether or not it was beautiful, but because singing itself is a beautiful thing. After that, it was more of a what-was-on-the-radio kind of thing. I recall listening to music on an eight-track player in our car, specifically the Everly Brothers, the Statler Brothers, and Anne Murray. Good times!

What was the first tune(s) you learned? 
The first tune I learned was, I think, "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" from the Beatles' "Help!" album. I didn't have all the chords right, as I learned it by ear, and the sound on my old Sears Globe acoustic was nowhere near as lush as it was on the original record, which I later learned was played on a combination of both six- and twelve-string acoustic guitars.

Do you write/compose your own songs? Briefly describe your songwriting process 
I write and compose my own songs, though I greatly enjoy working in collaboration with other music composers and lyricists. Depending on the song, it might be a phrase I read in a book, or an unusual idiom a friend may utter in passing, and it sticks with me until it turns into a melody. Or a strain of a rhythm or harmony might pop into my head, and then the words will come later. 

If you were to cover another artist's album, which would you pick and why? 
If I were to cover another artist's album, it would have to be either "Friends," "Sunflower," or "Surf's Up" by the Beach Boys. While I do love their earlier stuff, and obviously "Pet Sounds" and the unfinished "Smile" album, there was some truly beautiful output by the band toward the end of the sixties and the beginning of the seventies. I mean, "Busy Doin' Nothin'"? "'Til I Die"? I've been trying to write song like those for years!

What was the highlight of 2015, either for you personally or for the band? 
What was the low point? The highlight of 2015 for me was seeing the release of "Of The Future," which was the finale song for the second season of "Hit Record On TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt". So much work went into that track from so many people, including folk like guitar wizard Nels Cline of Wilco, and to see it finally released as a music video on television and YouTube was quite fulfilling, given the positive vibe of the song and how well people have responded to it since then. The low point? I can't say that there were any low points, and even when there were, I had the help and support of good friends, particularly from my best friend - my wife, Koura - to make even the lows seem not-so-low.

What is 2016 looking like for you? Upcoming projects?  
Can you give us a little hint, on what we can expect for this year?: 2016 is shaping up to be an interesting year in terms of projects. I am currently building up song material for at least a couple of albums, one of which will be strictly cover songs. I'll also be doing some film work, both as a filmmaker and as a composer, so I'm really looking forward to what comes of that!

Any embarrassing on stage moments you'd like to share? C’mon, don’t be shy 
When it comes to embarrassing moments onstage, it more has to do with my normal manner offstage. My everyday self is quite shy and reserved, but when I get onstage, I tend to go crazy with how the music makes me feel in a sort of nervous and kinetic fashion. If it's a rock song, I'll do the bunny hops or the Pete Townshend-esque windmills, and if it's funky, I'll do the slide or the robot, or whatever. When I've encountered friends after a given show, the embarrassment I've felt has been due to their shockingly positive reactions!

What do you enjoy doing outside of music? Does your hobby rejuvenate their creativity? 
I enjoy doing many art-related activities outside of music: photography, drawing, painting, filmmaking, writing poetry, and so on. I also have recently discovered a love for travelling, which I find inspires me in profound ways, as I've tended to be a homebody for much of my life. There's so many flavors to the world, and I'm just beginning to taste them!

What do you like the most about Radio Airplay? 
What I like most about Radio Airplay is that it exposes my music to people who, otherwise, most likely would have never heard of me. It means a lot to be able to reach out to total strangers and see them becoming fans right before my eyes!

Of The Future 




April 27, 2016

The Ten Rules Of The Road (And Of Your Life)

"There’s no trick to coming out healthy, wealthy and wise at the end of a tour (assuming you started the tour that way)."

Whether you're planning out your first Summer tour or you're a touring veteran, check out this great new post by our friends at Music Think Tank - with 10 excellent tips and advice on avoiding common pitfalls and getting the most out of your shows and living on the road!


http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/the-ten-rules-of-the-road-and-of-your-life.html

The ABC’s Of Musical Collaboration

"The search for the perfect collaboration partner – and managing that relationship – can take up a lot of time and effort. We all want that cohesive bond, that magical unspoken stoke that yields pure gold. But there are pitfalls along the way, perhaps the biggest downside being if you don’t set yourself up correctly, you could eat into your own creative time – which is your most valuable resource."


This article posted by our good friends over at DIY Musician has some basics that you should consider, and questions you should ask yourself and your potential partner.

http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/musician-tips/abcs-musical-collaboration/

April 26, 2016

Radio Airplay Staff Picks (Week 16 2016)

We here at Radio Airplay absolutely love music and moreover, we love sharing new music with you! Being exposed to so many awesome independent artists of our Airplay community is an amazing experience. Getting to listen and share up & coming artist's music is even better!

Fellow rockstar members of the Radio Airplay staff want to give Radio Airplay artists even more opportunities to be heard. Erin, Kelly, Tara, and Adam are on board so far, and will be hand picking their favorite tunes each week. We'll be featuring them here on the blog, the Radio Airplay Facebook, and our weekly Airplay newsletter. 






Check out our Staff Picks of Week 16!


Erin's Picks: 






Tara's Picks:

Musician's Atlas PopScore Pick (Week 16 2016)

Top PopScore band Epic Mendosa was chosen for Week 16 as the Musician's Atlas PopScore Pick for their song, Respect The Architect Listen here!

Epic Mendosa received a full year's membership to Musician's Atlas, the music industry's most reliable contact database service.
_​
_But you don't have to wait until you reach the top of the PopScore charts to get VIP access to the best performance, promotion & distribution._




April 21, 2016

Center Stage - Denim Wedding



We're really excited to present our newest Center Stage band, Denim Wedding - A  Portland based group that has been capturing the ears and hearts of Jango listeners far and wide. Their song Low Hum especially stands out, with it's delicate and haunting melody and gritty guitar. 

We asked them to tell us a little bit about themselves with our Q&A, so get to know them with us in our latest feature right here: 

Denim Wedding was formed early 2010 by core members Jennifer Faust and Brian Kunkel in Portland, Oregon. Our first big shift came when we were joined by Josh Mathys on percussion in 2012.  The recordings available on Radio Airplay are the result of our work together (recorded by Josh Mathys and Brian Kunkel). The current band lineup includes Jessica Blount and another talented songwriter, Jon Williams. We are excited to present fresh recordings of this energized foursome sometime in the near future! Jennifer, Brian, and Jon:  vocals, guitar, bass.  Jessica: drums.

Describe your sound in one ramble-on sentence
Teetering on the freshly fallen tree crossing the creek, arms stretched out for balance, hoping to reach the other side.

What's your earliest music-related memory growing up?
Grandma improvising rhymes to the boyscout song, “oh, I wish I were a little bar of soap”

What was the first tune(s) you learned?
Cotton Jenny, by Gordon Lightfoot

Do you write/compose your own songs? Briefly describe your songwriting process
Sometimes poetry first, sometimes chord progressions first, sometimes melody first

If you were to cover another artist's album, which would you pick and why?
Covering another artist’s song is complicated enough, let alone an entire album, as you want to both do it justice as well as make it your own. Song’s we’ve covered are “Crazy” (Willie Nelson), “So Much Wine” (Handsome Family), Rex Blues (Townes Van Zandt), and Harvest Moon (Neil Young).

What was the highlight of 2015, either for you personally or for the band? What was the low point?
The highlight of 2015 was the whole band moving 45 minutes outside of Portland, OR to a town called Chapman, onto a property with an acre and a half, huge trees, a creek, and a grange hall. The low point was re-learning how to live with roommates, who happen to be your bandmates.

What is 2016 looking like for you? Upcoming projects? Can you give us a little hint, on what we can expect for this year?
In 2016 we will focus on continuing to remodel this property, and offering up recordings created in the grange/studio, and throwing a few private events showcasing some of Portland’s finest musical talents.

Any embarrassing on stage moments you'd like to share? C’mon, don’t be shy.
My selective short-term memory prevents me from remembering embarrassing stage moments.  Thank God.

What do you enjoy doing outside of music? Does your hobby rejuvenate their creativity?
Pulling nails, painting walls, doing dishes, darning socks, growing plants, building fires, sweeping, dumpster diving, and catching frogs.

What do you like the most about Radio Airplay?
I like Radio Airplay because they offer ten free credits to artists, just because, and that has helped us reach out around the world, even though we’re held up in the Pacific Northwest woods.  It’s exciting to see emails saying “So-and-so, from Israel, just became a fan!”  Helps to keep the dream alive…



April 20, 2016

5 Steps To Creating An Effective Music Marketing Plan


"Whether you’re a brand new musician establishing yourself online for the first time, or an already established band with a dedicated fan base, there is one thing that love it or hate it, all musicians will have to do. That, my friends, is marketing your music."


Thankfully, our good friends at Music Think Tank have posted a great article on their site, with tips on how to create an effective marketing plan that will help you reach your goals and move you forward in your music career. 


http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/5-steps-to-creating-an-effective-music-marketing-plan.html

6 Stage Hacks To Engage a Crowd

"During a live gig, the relationship between the artist and audience is beyond that of simply performer and observer... If a band looks like they’re enjoying their music and projects a sense of confidence, that will convince a crowd as much as their material will. Conversely, bands that look shy and embarrassed will make the crowd feel awkward, and that negative emotion becomes associated with their music."
Whether you've played tons of shows or you're first getting out there to play local gigs, check out this fun and informative article just posted by our friends at CD Baby, with 6 great tips and strategies for making your performances more interesting and memorable. 

April 19, 2016

Radio Airplay Staff Picks (Week 15 2016)

We here at Radio Airplay absolutely love music and moreover, we love sharing new music with you! Being exposed to so many awesome independent artists of our Airplay community is an amazing experience. Getting to listen and share up & coming artist's music is even better!

Fellow rockstar members of the Radio Airplay staff want to give Radio Airplay artists even more opportunities to be heard. Erin, Kelly, Tara, and Adam are on board so far, and will be hand picking their favorite tunes each week. We'll be featuring them here on the blog, the Radio Airplay Facebook, and our weekly Airplay newsletter.





Check out our Staff Picks of Week 15!


Erin's Picks: 






Tara's Picks:


Musician's Atlas PopScore Pick (Week 15 2016)


Top PopScore band Lost And Profound was chosen for Week 15 as the Musician's Atlas PopScore Pick for their song, I'm Sorry Listen here!

Lost And Profound received a full year's membership to Musician's Atlas, the music industry's most reliable contact database service.
_​
_But you don't have to wait until you reach the top of the PopScore charts to get VIP access to the best performance, promotion & distribution._




April 14, 2016

Center Stage - Nola Wren

Nola Wren is the stage name of Brooklyn based singer-songwriter and producer Kara Renee Francavillo, and our latest Center Stage artist. 

Born to a musical family outside of Chicago, Nola began writing songs at a very young age, eventually picking up the guitar and learning her way around a MIDI keyboard. Her innate sense of style and distinctive blend of sparkly electro pop, driving guitars, and sharp-witted lyrics has garnered praise from numerous publications, including LADYGUNN and The Deli Magazine. She is currently working on her first EP.

Her song Venom was one the Top 10 songs of the Radio Airplay 2016 Spring Song Contest, and for good reason. The catchy melody accompanied by sultry vocals & lyrics create the perfect soundscape for this synth-pop ballad. 

Get to know Nola Wren and what's she's got planned for the future. We are excited to hear much more from the talented artist! 

Describe your sound in one ramble-on sentence
spunky indie electro pop punk sparkle grunge bittersweet salty alt-y nocturnal synth rock like a dreamy neon-tinged melancholic walk of shame at sunrise slash a glimmer of hope at sunset.

What's your earliest music-related memory growing up?
It's actually my first memory – of my grandmother singing a lullaby and rocking me to sleep at night when I was a baby.

What was the first tune(s) you learned?
I started playing guitar around age 13-14, and the first song I learned was “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. I used to practice it while wearing a t-shirt that had a picture of Kurt Cobain in a green dress smoking a cigarette on the front.

Do you write/compose your own songs? Briefly describe your songwriting process
Yes, I do. My process itself a bit scattered and hard to pin down, but my general approach is to write as much as I can – thoughts, feely feels, poems, phrases, bits and pieces – wherever, whenever possible. (i.e. often in transit.) Like most songwriters I know, I constantly use the voice memos and notepad apps on my iPhone. I also keep a physical journal. Sometimes I'll start with a melody or vocal hook idea, grab my guitar and start writing, or vice versa. Other times I'll start by laying down a beat or some chords in Ableton or Logic, then a few hours (or days, or months) later, it eventually becomes a song.

If you were to cover another artist's album, which would you pick and why?
I've toyed with the idea of doing a Bruce Springsteen cover album. It would include a mixture of songs from Born to Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Nebraska, and Born in the U.S.A. 70's/80's era Springsteen makes me so nostalgic, even though technically I wasn't a part of that generation. I was born in the Midwest, but I spent my formative teenage years (in the 2000s) growing up in New Jersey – falling in and out of love, driving around aimlessly at night with my friends, broke, conflicted, beary-eyed yet intensely optimistic about the future. Now if that doesn't just scream The Boss, I don't know what does.

What was the highlight of 2015, either for you personally or for the band? What was the low point?
Releasing my single “Venom” was a major highlight. Having my song “College” remixed by Lucian was awesome, too. (over 900K hits on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv4j1QRhmOI) Unfortunately, I went through a long creative dry spell in 2015. I think it's relatively natural to experience waves of writer's block or artistic burnout, but last year the drought hit me particularly hard.

What is 2016 looking like for you? Upcoming projects? Can you give us a little hint, on what we can expect for this year?
I've been in writing/collaboration/production mode for the past several months, taking everything one day at a time. I'm letting it all soak in. New music is on the horizon, I just don't have any definitive release date quite yet. But I'm excited, because I really do feel like things are slowly coming together.

Any embarrassing on stage moments you'd like to share? C’mon, don’t be shy.
Years ago, I wore a pair of skin-tight sequin hot pants to a gig. I literally cringe at the thought of them now. I had a backing band at the time, and everyone was wearing flannels and jeans. Meanwhile, there I was dressed like BeyoncĂ© at the Grammy's in a casual bar in the Lower East Side, fighting the urge to pick a wedgie on stage.

What do you enjoy doing outside of music? Does your hobby rejuvenate their creativity?
Painting, drawing, exercising, cooking, reading, visiting museums, watching movies, sewing, and perhaps most of all spending time outdoors. I enjoy taking long walks, exploring this incredible city and getting lost for hours. I like to shut off my laptop and let my phone die periodically. It helps clear my often over-stimulated ADD/ADHD brain. I also run an Etsy shop called Skella, where I sell a mix of vintage and one-of-a-kind upcycled garments. I'm really interested in getting involved in gardening and environmental protection/restoration, so I recently signed up for a bunch of volunteer work through various NYC parks.

What do you like the most about Radio Airplay?
Opportunities like these, of course! Radio Airplay is a good resource for independent artists looking to expand their audience and connect with new fans.



April 13, 2016

How To Establish Your Band Locally And Move Onto Bigger Gigs

"There’s a lot of debate out there about whether or not a band should focus on getting established locally before trying their hand at regional, national, or even global notoriety."

Creating momentum in your hometown can definitively lead to bigger gigs, so take a look at this great article posted by our friends at DIY Musician, with some awesome advice on how to establish your band locally that lead to bigger opportunities. 

http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/musician-tips/how-to-establish-your-band-locally-and-move-onto-bigger-gigs/

April 12, 2016

Radio Airplay Staff Picks (Week 14 2016)

We here at Radio Airplay absolutely love music and moreover, we love sharing new music with you! Being exposed to so many awesome independent artists of our Airplay community is an amazing experience. Getting to listen and share up & coming artist's music is even better! 

Fellow rockstar members of the Radio Airplay staff want to give Radio Airplay artists even more opportunities to be heard. Erin, Kelly, Tara, and Adam are on board so far, and will be hand picking their favorite tunes each week. We'll be featuring them here on the blog, the Radio Airplay Facebook, and our weekly Airplay newsletter.  

Check out our Staff Picks of Week 14!


Erin's Picks: 








Tara's Picks: