Nashville-based entertainment firm, The Lowry Agency, has officially announced the addition of and welcomes guitarist/singer/songwriter Kris Bell to their client roster.
http://www.prlog.org/11488696-turn-it-on-turn-it-up-rocker-kris-bell-signs-with-the-lowry-agency.html
#The Lowry Agency
Gunnar Nelson of “Nelson” special guest on this week’s “Live From Music City.”
“Live From Music City,” a weekly radio show that airs on Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm CST on blog talk radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/live-from-music-city), welcomes Gunnar Nelson of NELSON (http://www.NelsonKicksAss.com/) to discuss his career in the music industry.
http://www.prlog.org/11485608-gunnar-nelson-of-nelson-special-guest-on-this-weeks-live-from-music-city.html
Keeping The Pace: Surviving VO Technology
KEEPING THE PACE: Surviving VO Technology
by Dave Courvoisier, The Lowry Agency Voice Over Talent
Ever since the worm turned and the “old way” of doing voiceovers became the “new” way of doing VO business, it’s been tough to keep up with the march of technology.
For decades, talent living in major metro areas reported to various professional studios, auditioning in person, and surviving on an agent/union paradigm. This still happens to some extent today, mostly in NYC and LA.
ISDN survives too, although people have long been predicting its demise. Such will be the case for many years, while the business of voice overs moves through its fits and starts, ever-changing with the times and the technologies.
In the meantime, an emerging wave that comprises the lion’s share of voice over work in the 21st century occurs in private studios all over America. These are studios typically built by the talent themselves, and populated by equipment cobbled together using whatever knowledge and resources they have.
In addition to the process of recording and sending sound files, much of the rest of the business of voice overs is also conducted online, or at least on a computer, often by one person – the voice over talent.
That means the process of marketing, promoting, advertising, accounting, bookkeeping, mailing, invoicing, editing, and follow-up all occurs in a digital world. That’s not necessarily a problem, but that world keeps changing and developing at a break-neck pace.
So, the question: how to keep abreast of the changes that will make up the new paradigm of VO, and what changes are those?
Clearly, Social media is not only one of those new technologies, but also the one that helps you understand the OTHER changes taking place in the industry. Why? Because Social Media sites that cater to voice-over business people personify the stream-of-consciousness that keeps you in-the-know.
FaceBook, Twitter, online forums, LinkedIn, YouTube, and ning sites like VoiceOverUniverse now make up the new (and continuous) Town Hall Meeting where people share, engage in Q&A, comment off-the-cuff, and create conversations and relationships.
Those online sites are typically where you will first see notice of new equipment, where to buy, how much it costs, and how to use it. Consider, for instance, the weekly EWABS online video webinar conducted by George Whittam and Dan Lenard. EWABS stands for East-West Audio Body Shop, and the hour-long Sunday evening event is free, and can be viewed on UStream effortlessly.
Newsletters, blogs, and teleseminars on equipment and services abound in the VO world these days (see http://courvo.biz, for instance). LinkedIn VO Groups have thousands of subscribers (see: Working Voice Actor Group administered by Ed Victor), and FaceBook has a number of extremely active VO Groups (see: Voice-over Friends, administered by Dave Courvoisier, Voice-Over Pros, administered by Terry Daniel, and Voice Artists United , administered by Chris Kendall – among others).
While many of these sites could be termed “niche”, they are also welcoming and inclusive. ‘No such thing as a “dumb question”, and newbie concerns are encouraged. J
Even more so, a Yahoo Group that caters to VO professionals has been going strong for years, and has an active, and highly-regarded membership that knocks around issues that range from equipment to software, marketing, demos, and freelance rates.
So how do you keep up? Join. Belong. Engage in the conversation. Pay-it-forward, and you will receive in return. Ask questions. Provide answers. Be a part of the community, and enjoy the benefits of association with like-minded souls. Everybody has something to give in the milieu of online discourse.
Success….At What Cost?
Success…. At What Cost?
by David Lowry
“And the work I put between us, doesn’t keep me warm” – “The Heart of the Matter” – Don Henley
One of my goals with my blog is to not only touch on the business end of things, but also the emotional side of things. This dream you are following has a strong emotional tie to it and usually the people around you, especially your significant other or those closest to you. Something that we managers sometimes have to deal with and that no one really thinks about is the price one pays for being in the entertainment industry. All of us who chase a dream often have to sacrifice so much to achieve it, just make sure it is worth the price.
This blog is going to be a one sided look at this topic as there are so many variables to consider her such as a jealous significant other whether it be of other people or of the career itself. We aren’t going to cover that here, what we will cover is assuming that you have a good stable relationship with the love of your life, what can happen to that when you are willing to sacrifice that for a dream, especially a dream that is nowhere near coming true.
When you are an entertainer of any kind, so many issues can pop up such as jealousy, never being home and not being able to spend enough time with the one you love. In a relationship, both people sacrifice so much for one person’s dream to come true and the person who is pursuing the dream needs to keep this in mind at all times. A very serious effort needs to made to spend time together and not get lost or wrapped up in the dream so much that you emotionally abandon the one you love or that you are willing to sacrifice this person who you say you love more than anything for a dream. It is very hard to be successful at anything without the support of the one you love. It can make or break you sometimes. You know the old saying “Behind every great man, is a great woman.” or vice versa. This holds true especially in an industry that is mostly negative and involves a lot of rejection. It is also my personal opinion that success on any level really means nothing without that special someone to share it with. I have been there and for me at least it falls utterly flat in feeling compared with my being able to share it with the love of my life. Remember that your dream won’t keep you warm at night, it won’t hold you and tell you everything is alright when things are at their worst and it won’t take care of you when you are sick.
Hopefully you have a relationship where you are both on the same page and you both want the other to succeed and are completely supportive. If this is true, then with good communication then you can make it through anything. Keep your eyes on the prize, but as a team. You as the entertainer need to decide what is more important, your dream or the one you love. If it’s the dream then tell the other person now. The three most important and destructive words in the english language are “I Love You.” Don’t say this if you don’t mean or can’t act on it EVER, it doesn’t matter who you are talking too. You are just going to hurt them more when the truth comes out. Don’t let it be a shock down the road to this special person if you decide to leave them for an entertainment career as this person has most likely sunk everything they have emotionally and probably financially into you. If the dream is more important than this person, than this probably isn’t the love of your life. You may care about them, but the love of your life is one person you would sacrifice anything for including your dream. Take it from me, nothing is worse than losing the love of your life. It’s not worth it.
A Shining Example
A Shining Example
By David Lowry
Every once in a while someone pops up on the radar screen who shows the rest of the people in the scene around them how it should be done. It is this person who seems to “get it.” They may not do everything right, but they try and they try much harder than everyone else. Some scenes have a few such people, others have many but in the rock/metal scene in Nashville there are only a couple. Surprisingly, one of these such persons is also a musician and not just another person like me — a manager, booking agent or promoter.
Ray LeGrand popped up on my radar screen a few months ago and I have been watching him very carefully: wondering if he is for real, will he get burnt our or jaded like everyone else. Will he make excuses or will he prove that the only thing holding him back is, of course, himself. I am happy to say that, from what he has proven so far, Ray is the real deal.
Ray is the front man for “Oblivion Myth” (www.oblivionmyth.com), a local Nashville metal band that just won a contest (by a landslide) to be on “Live From Music City.” As a matter of fact, it was Ray and his incredible wife Patti that woke up the rest of the Nashville rock/metal scene to the contest. Ray and his wife got so many votes I was thoroughly and entirely impressed, especially with all the other long established bands in the running.
Ray and his wife Patti started up a movement in Nashville called “Nashville Metal Bands” (http://www.facebook.com/NashvilleMetalBands?sk=info). Ray unselfishly promotes all metal bands in Nashville, not just his own. He works tirelessly with the help of Patti to make a difference — a major difference — in the local rock/metal scene. Ray works full time, is a husband, father, front man and runs “Nashville Metal Bands.” He does more in a day for the music scene here locally than just about any other band does for themselves in months. Ray proves there is no excuse why you can’t get things done or because you don’t have enough time. Ray possesses a fire not only for his band, but the local scene and has a dream and a goal that he won’t give up till he gets there.
Ray and Patti are constantly learning and most importantly applying what they have learned immediately. It is so much fun to watch and, in some small way, hope that “Live From Music City” or even our meeting together may have had a small part in this. Ray and Patti provide an excitement that this local scene so severely needs. If more people would learn from Ray, we would have a much different scene, a much more productive scene and the local artists would be much farther along in their dreams.
I have had the privilege of meeting both Ray and Patti and can tell you it is an honor to call them friends. I know Ray couldn’t do what he does without a strong supportive wife like Patti behind him. It is truly a team effort. When you see them, please stop and say thank you for what they are doing, especially if they are promoting your band or music. Most importantly, stop and look at what they are doing and learn from it. I know I do.
What is the Product?
What is the Product?
Meeting after meeting, artists tell me they need to record a new CD, or are just about to record, or are in the process of recording one. The first question I ask is “Great! What are you going to do with it?”
They look at me dumbfounded as if I am stupid. “Well we are gonna try and sell it of course” they say.
“To who?” I ask. “Well, our fans” is the usual response.
“What fans?” I ask probing further. “You mean the 176 fans on your twitter account?” “The same 30 fans that keep coming to your shows in the same city that you never get out of?”
“What are you going to do with the rest of the CD’s that are sitting in your garage after you sell 50 of them and have run out of fans?”
“What is your marketing plan?” “Who are you going to distribute it through?” “Better yet, why are you recording a CD for a fan base that doesn’t exist yet?”
“Do you have a provable demand for new music that will at least allow you to recover the investment cost of making the new CD?” 99% of the time the is of course “No.”
Needless to say from a business standpoint this is bad business. You don’t invest money into something that you have no idea or plan to make money/a profit on.
My point is: If you haven’t developed a sizeable fan base from shows and social media, you have no need for a CD until there is an actual demand for it or at least a big enough fan base to market it to. Let’s say you have a CD but you have only managed to sell 100 copies of it and you still have plenty left over. Don’t you think you should sell those first before making a new CD?
Obviously at this point you still don’t have a demand for your music, so why do you need a new CD? Your current CD still hasn’t been heard by anyone yet, so it isn’t old music to anyone but you. Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to focus on developing a demand for new music by selling your current CD and generating a fan base who actually want to purchase it?
You need to resist the “artist” urge or need to create before it is time. That doesn’t mean stop writing, it means don’t pay for something you can’t sell. Don’t be fooled by the numbers on your social media accounts. I am talking about actual true fans, not just people who follow you because you followed them or because you bought a program to add followers.
The first thing the artist needs to realize is the CD is NOT the product; it’s a piece of merchandise. TheARTIST is the product. The artist has to create the demand for themselves/live performance before sinking a ton of money into multiple CDs, let alone one CD.
You can have t-shirts and other things to sell as merchandise through a developing rabid fan base that actually wants to purchase your merchandise. This will help keep costs down. The priority is developing the artist not the CD. The artist should be working on his/her/their image, social media campaign, the best live show possible and booking only. Once this has achieved a certain level, the artist can then worry about a CD that their fan base will demand. Bottom line is that if no one wants to see you live, you have no need for anything. You have to make them want to see you live and want to make the purchase. That comes from a killer live show. Practice, practice, practice, write killer songs that have a hook and melody and blow them away onstage. Period.
The proof is in the pudding with the live show. You have to win over the audience and develop them into fans. If you do this, they will stay fans and will buy your CD when you finally do release it. Not only that, you will have a nice building up to — and can actually pull off — a great “launch” and have impressive stats from the fan base that is actually demanding and waiting for this merchandise.
“Jesse James Dupree” of “Jackyl” was on my radio show “Live From Music City” and flat out said (which I wholeheartedly agree with) that they didn’t approach anybody in the business or do anything until the were constantly selling out shows at the bars they played all up and down the east coast. That was when they had a need for a team and were ready to shop for a record deal. Then they could take their pick of labels because all the labels wanted them. It was the single best piece of advice on my show ever. Here is the interview for you to listen to: http://ht.ly/4EErD. There is simply no need for much of what most artists THINK they need until there is a demand for the artist themselves.
Simply put, if the artist would focus on the essentials; booking, image, developing a fan base and PR the rest would take care of itself. Everyone wants to do it backwards; they want everything now and have no patience. Business doesn’t work that way and when you work harder and not smarter you tend to not succeed and also are in danger of completely burning yourself out.
A simple strategy you can adopt is to record two or three songs that you can offer on digital download to tide people over until there is a need for a CD and that you can use to help market yourself with.
You can make a couple of videos to put on YouTube that should be very high quality. Rehearse your band till they are perfect and then pay a professional company to video record your performance of these songs at a good venue with a sound man who knows your sound.
Put them up as single songs and market the heck out of it with social media. YouTube is the destination spot for new music discoveries now. This is a much smarter use of your money. This not only allows for people to discover you, but share your music. Most importantly, assuming you play very well live, you can use this to show venues that you are worth booking based on the crowd in front of you and your actual performance and stage presence.
Develop the artist first then once you have a fan base you can create a CD to sell. No point paying for something you can’t sell to anyone. Be strategic in your plans and definitely plan! Don’t just do something without thought of the benefit of it and how you will get it out there.
Good Luck!
Roger Earl and Bryan Basset of “Foghat” guest artists on “Live From Music City.”
“Live From Music City,” a weekly radio show that airs on Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm CST on blog talk radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/live-from-music-city), welcomes Roger Earl and Bryan Basset of “Foghat” (http://www.foghat.net) to discuss their music careers, following entertainment/music industry marketing consultant Michael Brandvold (http://www.michaelbrandvold.com) in a four-week series, “How To Market Like A Rock Star!” //www.prlog.org/11446394-roger-earl-and-bryan-basset-of-foghat-guest-artists-on-live-from-music-city.html
Review of the CD “212” from Neil Zaza
Recently I have had the pleasure of interviewing guitar virtuoso Neil Zaza on “Live From Music City,” about the release of his new CD “212.” Having known about Zaza’s work in the past, I was eager to hear the new music. In my opinion, it’s hard to find a guitar instrumentalist that has his own “voice” and composes songs and melodies in such a rare way that as a listener, you don’t need to hear a vocalist to completely enjoy the music. Zaza is that sort of guitar player. Zaza likes to play in major keys to keep the music sounding positive and happy, which I think is great, as most rock guitar players primarily play in minor tonalities. It’s a real experience to put on the headphones and be bombarded with such expressive and amazing songs. http://lowryagency.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/review-of-the-cd-212-from-neil-zaza/
Review of the CD “212” from Neil Zaza
Review of the CD “212” from Neil Zaza
Review by David Lowry
Recently I have had the pleasure of interviewing guitar virtuoso Neil Zaza on “Live From Music City,” about the release of his new CD “212.” Having known about Zaza’s work in the past, I was eager to hear the new music. In my opinion, it’s hard to find a guitar instrumentalist that has his own “voice” and composes songs and melodies in such a rare way that as a listener, you don’t need to hear a vocalist to completely enjoy the music. Zaza is that sort of guitar player. Zaza likes to play in major keys to keep the music sounding positive and happy, which I think is great, as most rock guitar players primarily play in minor tonalities. It’s a real experience to put on the headphones and be bombarded with such expressive and amazing songs.
Starting with the first track “Magnus,” Zaza pulls out all the stops. With a huge arrangement for a short song that is basically an intro, it is big, majestic and a gorgeous piece of music.
The next song “Go!” is jumped right into from the previous track and hits you with a lively beat and never lets you go! It’s like being on a rollercoaster on a clear sunny day. The melody wins here, as it keeps you singing along with it.
“King of The World” changes the feel a bit with an opening of jangly guitars and a soaring melody line that sweeps you off your feet. It is a fine, mid-tempo song with great dynamic breaks and, as always, Zaza’s tasty playing.
“Is This Wonderland?” opens with a whimsical keyboard and a softer guitar line to follow with less distortion. It leads into a more full instrumental track with a nice slow feel that makes you just want to sit back and take it all in.
“To The Moon and Back” sets you into a nice slow groove with very little instrumentation to start before coming in with some big hits. Again the melody lifts you up and takes you places that most music never will.
“Baroque Sky” opens with a melancholy feel before pulling you in with very deep melodic tones and big guitar chords. Zaza never allows the music to do anything but keep you totally enthralled with what the melody line is doing. The chorus builds with huge guitars and ascending notes and brings you back down gently to let your ears appreciate what they just experienced.
“If This is Goodbye” starts with a single jangly guitar and simple melody line. With a bit more of a bluesy feel, it’s a departure from the other tracks and so tastefully done. The organ provides a nice back drop for the guitar to play against, the rhythm perfectly in the pocket. Then Bam! Out of nowhere comes Zaza with a huge melody line. His use of dynamics is the sign of a great arranger and it shows on this song.
“Wild Horses” comes in with a drum groove and a drone guitar before the melody accompanies it. It’s very simple and beautiful. Arpeggiated guitars fill it out and the song gets a boost from the rhythm section. Zaza’s use of laying guitars stands out and the melody provides a bounce in your step for this fun stop. With flashes of speed and mostly just really well played melody lines, “Wild Horses” makes you feel like you are out there with them.
“The Beauty” starts with a finger picked clean guitar and Zaza laying a melody line over it with just a touch more gain. The song lives up to its name as it lulls you in with a sweet soft melody and then brings you up to a new height with its chorus. Harmony lines peppered throughout this song complete this beautiful romantic piece and makes you want to take that special someone for a long walk and remember why you are with them in the first place.
Next up is a cover of The Police’s “Message In A Bottle” which is a refreshing take on the original. While a bit of a heavier feel, it’s very playful and never loses the sense of what the original brought. Zaza captures the melody perfectly, you don’t miss the vocals at all. This is very well done and shows just how well he is able to capture the spirit of the song and make it even better!
Finally, Zaza gives us his version of Ah-Ha’s “Take On Me.” A fun cover that actually made me like this song again after all the overplay it got. He has a knack for taking familiar songs and making them very fresh and exciting.
In summary, “212” is an outstanding musical effort from Neil Zaza. Mr. Zaza is the type of player that knows exactly what to play, when to play it and never over does it. He is incredibly melodic and a very mature songwriter and each song on this CD showcases that. One of the best instrumental albums I have heard in years and on par with the other greats of this genre such as Andy Timmons, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. 5 out of 5 stars!
Note: At the time of this writing, The Lowry Agency has no affiliation with Neil Zaza.
Stryper Concert Review With Black Water James The Wildhorse Saloon Nashville, TN March 18th, 2011
Stryper Concert Review With Black Water James The Wildhorse Saloon Nashville, TN March 18th, 2011
By David Lowry
I was anticipating a good show on this night, as I have never seen a “bad” Stryper concert, so I was excited to be there from the beginning. What I left the show feeling was a shock even to me. I came as a fan; I left as an even bigger one. Let’s start with the opening act Black Water James.
I have seen Black Water James once previously about six weeks ago, so I knew what I was in for when they came on. I was looking forward to seeing them again as I was hoping to see improvement because they were in a much better venue.
Black Water James has a lot of energy and a lot of potential as a rock band. They were pretty good for about the first four songs but then I noticed that all the songs started to sound the same. Both times I have seen them now, about three quarters of the way through their set, everything does sound a bit the same.
Greater dynamics are needed and catchier hooks to keep the audience in it the whole time. The band brings a decent image and are decent musicians, but the song writing is still a little weak for such a long set. I also question the order of the songs. It seems their best material is all in the front of the set closing it out with weaker, less “hooky” songs.
They attempt dual guitar solos, which is great, but would be better if they were in harmony, not just an octave apart or in unison. Also the guitar solos themselves are a bit weak in stating anything. They aren’t a story within the song. It comes off as mainly pentatonic noodling. Both players are capable and have great potential for doing more with this.
For a band of only 2 1/2 years, they are still one of the top five rock bands in Nashville and do portray a great energy on stage. The drummer is worth watching alone. He’s got great groove, stays in the pocket very well and puts on a great show. This band will do great things if they keep improving and don’t lose focus. They were certainly up to the challenge of opening for Stryper and aren’t afraid to let it all hang out.
When Stryper took the stage, the bar was raised tenfold. Not only do they look great, but also everything looks pristine. The stage is clean and uncluttered, the guitars are polished, the clothes are clean and pressed and they look like they belong in a band together. Their image is always good and their show is impeccable.
The songs were flawlessly played and crystal clear and they burst with energy. The band met the crowd with respect and humor. They really know how to connect with their audience and bring them in. During the whole show, the crowd was singing along word for word with every song. The band threw out many Bibles and picks to the fans who were all to eager to get one.
Michael Sweet’s voice was as amazing as ever. He hasn’t lost a thing vocally and in many ways is probably stronger. His guitar playing is on par with most of the great guitarists we think of. How often do you get to see a performer who is a world class vocalist and guitar player? Oz Fox has always been a top tier guitar player as well and successfully backs up Michael vocally on a few parts, giving Michael the rest his voice needed, showing again how incredibly talented this band truly is. Timothy Gaines, who is an amazing bass player in any style of music, drove the bus with Robert Sweet, keeping the rhythm section tight and thundering. His bass tone was perfect and really filled out the sound. Whether using his finger or a pick, the bass cut through and gave a serious foundation to the heavy guitars. Robert “The Visual Time Keeper” Sweet was as solid as he has ever been and always puts on an amazing drum workshop each concert. Easily one of the most underrated rock drummers of all time and he proves it every time I see him.
The one thing Stryper does better than anyone else I have ever seen is sing in harmony. Their harmonies were awesome! This band should be teaching younger bands what it takes to put on an incredible live show. They are so well rehearsed and professional that they are able to put it all on the line for a show that puts most bands I have ever seen to shame.
Stryper did three cover songs as well as the usual classics. They did “Over The Mountain” by Ozzy Osbourne, “Heaven and Hell” by Black Sabbath and “Shout It Out Loud” by Kiss. Their performance was flawless and on par with any of the performances I have seen of the original artists.
On a scale of 1 to 10 this concert gets a 9.5. The only deduction being it wasn’t long enough. The fans are having so much fun singing along at the show, the times flies by and it’s over in an instant. After doing the encore, Michael Sweet closed out in prayer, praying for everyone in the building and in Japan — again showing the heart this band has for its fans and the world.
In a nutshell, Stryper put on a better live show then 95% of any bands I have ever seen and they do it consistently. They are a text book band for younger generations to follow to learn from and understand why practice, talent, songwriting, vocal harmonies, solos, set preparation, stage presence and connecting with their audience are so critically important to the success of their career.
If you are on the fence about seeing Stryper on tour this year or have never seen them, go! Spend the money; it is so well worth it. You’ll get so much more than just a good show or performance. You’ll get a band that cares about its fans, the world and doing something greater than themselves. To find out more about Stryper and their tour dates, check out their website www.stryper.com.
Note: The Lowry Agency has no affiliation with anyone mentioned in this review.