Featured Presskit: Streight Angular (Boston, MA)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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The characters of Streight Angular are no secret to the Boston Music scene. Whether you’ve seen their antics live, or just passed “that guy in the YOLO hat” on the streets, Streight Angular keeps popping up everywhere.
We got the chance to chat with the group’s vocalist/guitarist Al Polk about the history of the band, and how they’re using Presskit.to in their musical endeavors.
Be sure to head over to the Boston Music Awards website and support Streight Angular in their nomination of “Everyone is Syncopated” for Song of the Year!
Presskit.to: How have you used Presskit.to/StreightAngular to showcase your career so far?
Al Polk: Presskit.to has been a really helpful tool when we approach labels, bookers, and venues. Everything anyone needs to know about us is one place. We have sent it out to people who want to get to know us more and find out what we’re about. We have also used it to book shows and mini-tours. It’s fun and easy and we love it!
Pk: Can you tell us a little bit of history about the band? It’s not every day you come across a “Weird Neon Punk” group such as yourselves…
AP: Well, Theresa and I met at a basement party. Theresa was playing saxophone in a band. I asked her if she wanted to play drums in my new band. She said she would. One day I spray painted our old drum set neon colors…which seemed to fit our vibe. Then after practicing for a few months, we started playing out. We met Andrew in Lowell at a house party where he was playing in this band called Coalmine Canary. Theresa asked him if he wanted to play bass in our band. He was down and that’s how it all began. We’ve been rocking out ever since. We’ve had some cool people help us out along the way like Adam Strock, Mitchell Barys, Paul Conant, Mary Lee Desmond, and Noel Vickery to name a few.
Pk: You guys have gotten some awesome Press from around town that describes you as a “Band that Never Sleeps” and “One of the most exciting and promising acts in America.” Can you tell us a little bit about these “Wins”?
AP: Well, we believe that the more you play out the better you get as a band. We love to play live and we get asked to play a lot of shows. We really don’t sleep; music means everything to us and that’s all we do.
This year we put out a new EP called “Everyone is Syncopated”, which the title track has recently been nominated “Song of the Year” for the Boston Music Awards. The above quote was taken from Ryan’s Smashing Life blog. It was great to read. We feel like we might be doing something right, but it’s always hard to tell. You just have to do what feels right no matter what.
Pk: Your music videos feature some unique concepts. Our personal favorite, “Supermarché” is a must see! How has this helped to showcase the band when you’re sending out your Presskit to Industry contacts?
AP: Well, Presskit.to is very user friendly and makes everything easily available. From our music to our music videos, those who seek us out and want to know more about us are only a click away. ”Supermarché” is a high energy visually stimulating conceptually challenging music video. It has helped showcase who we are as a band.
Pk: What’s up next for you guys?
AP: We are working on a new EP, currently titled “Hollywood Nightmare”. It should be out by the beginning of next year. We may be releasing a new single before the year is out.
We also have a lot of shows coming up. We’re playing a Benefit show for the Victims of Hurricane Sandy at O’Briens Pub and then we have a residency every second Wednesday of the month at the Middlesex Lounge called Streight Night. We are also working on a music video for our song “It’s Christmas!”
We’re still looking for something to do for New Year’s Eve so if you any cool parties we could crash, please let us know. We love to party!
Pk: Thanks Al!!!
Featured Presskit: Hello Bear (Norwich, UK)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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Between their Melodic vocals and Punchy guitar and bass lines, Hello Bear caught my ear instantly. With the visual image to accompany the sound, these guys are ripping up the UK’s Pop/Rock scene both on the Airwaves and on Stage.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Hello Bear’s Manager James Richardson about how they’re using Presskit.to/HelloBear to showcase their career, and how some of their awesome initiatives have brought them the success they’ve seen thus far. Check it out!
Presskit.to: How have you used Presskit.to/HelloBear to showcase your career thus far?
James Richardson: We’ve used our Presskit extensively for a recent radio campaign (which we received national airplay from Amazing Radio amongst others) and we’ve been sending it to other promoters to secure more shows/future touring opportunities ever since. Just recently actually we managed to secure a great London show to coincide with the Single we’re launching in November. I really think our Presskit aids us in our pitches by having lots of relevant content plugins like Soundcloud and Youtube available in a visual way. Being able to showcase your notable achievements into categorized Wins is another feature we’ve found useful too.
Pk: In 2010 Hello Bear won the Next Big Thing Competition. Have you seen any notable Dividends from this Win?
JR: I think we’ll let the giant cheque do the talking here ;)
Pk: You guys have included several of your Music Videos in your Presskit, and they’re all great! Have you seen these Videos as a useful way to showcase the group when reaching out to Agents, Promoters, etc.?
JR: Thanks very much! It’s very important to show a visual side to the band’s music, and I think it helps promoters to really ‘get’ what they’re about, and how they can fit into one of their nights. I mean, without seeing what the band is like live it can sometimes be difficult to understand what a band is all about just by listening to one of their tracks. Hello Bear is quite a fun, animated band so it always helps to use videos to showcase this kind of thing.
Pk: In March, Hello Bear was featured in Artrocker Magazine. Can you tell us a little about that Win?
JR: They were featured in the ‘New Blood’ section which is their area for showcasing the best new artists around, and basically who Artrocker think you should be keeping an eye on. It was great to be included in that feature and they were very kind to the guys in this review. We also had a full page ad the following month which was great as the album was released then.
Pk: What’s up for Hello Bear in the coming months? Anything we should keep an eye out for?
JR: Next month (the 12th of November) we’re going to be releasing the fourth and final single from their ‘This One Girl…’ album, it’s going to be called ‘64 Hit Combo’ and the video is going to have a thumb wrestling theme to it! They’re also gearing up to record the 2nd album which we’re hopefully going to encourage some label interest with.
Pk: Thanks James!!
Featured Presskit: Left On Red (New York, NY)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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When we first checked out Left On Red, it was no secret that this duo packs some serious punch. From busking the streets of NYC in their early days, to hopping up on stage with Tom Morello at the 2012 Newport Festival, Left On Red has captured audiences from their home in New York City to the southern tip of Florida.
Check out how they use Presskit.to in innovative ways to correspond with Booking Agents while on tour, and what’s happening in their world in the following months!
Presskit.to: How have you used Presskit.to/LeftonRed to showcase your career so far?
Liah Alonso: Presskit.to/LeftonRed has been really helpful in sending info about our band in text messages and tweets. Everything is there, so there’s no slow load time as there would be with other sites. It has also been helpful for booking more shows while on tour because we are often going to new venues and personally meeting the booking agents. On the spot, we can easily pull the presskit app up on our phones to discuss dates and bookings.
PK: Left on Red busked on the streets of NYC a lot early on in your career together. Do you think that experience has had anything to do with your current successes?
Editor’s Note: This dude’s got moves.
Absolutely. Playing in the subways was a great way to connect with people and see what sounds resonated with them. The person who stops and listens or buys a CD when they hear a subway performer is unexpectedly engaged; they are happily surprised and life is more musical, less lonely and we got to witness the power of music like that first-hand on so many occasions. Playing in the subways also prepared us to always expect the unexpected, and furthermore to not let distractions take away the focus from the music. During our subway performances we would see lots of people doing lots of kinds of crazy things. We have seen people taking their clothes off while we were playing, people crawl out of the subway tracks, people slamming into our gear…not to mention the challenge of playing in the cold and hauling gear up and down many sets of streets and stairs. Equipment malfunctions, busker face-offs…SO many challenges. We would play for 4 hours at a time, sometimes twice a day. We feel fortunate that now we are on the road and the set-backs that are typical for a touring band just don’t seem bad when you compare them to where we have been and when we dream about where we are going.
PK: We hear that! You guys recently did a string of shows with Rage Against The Machine’s own Tom Morello in NYC and at the Newport Folk Festival. How was this experience for the group? Was there any notable “Wins” you can identify from this experience?
It was an amazing experience to open up for Tom Morello and to share the stage with he and Jackson Browne at The Newport Folk Festival! To be invited to perform was a huge win in itself. Tom has been an inspiration to us since we were Rage Fans, activists, and since we had the pleasure of opening for him at The Winter Soldier Convention in Washington DC 4 years ago. We would happily and proudly stand behind Tom’s music and activism in the future.
When people hear that we opened for Tom it gives our music more credibility. That’s just how the game works. For example: Commuters walked past world class violinist Josh Bell when he played his really expensive violin in a subway station in DC. I think he may have only made 30 bucks or something ridiculous like that. Bell tours around the world making crazy money and playing for fancy, deep-pocketed people and that’s awesome! Even so, In the subway tunnels people ignored his talent because they couldn’t frame it into their experience or understanding of great music and where it happens. This example illustrates that in some cases, you are just a peasant playing for change until well-respected famous people stand behind your art, or until you’re on a big stage or TV screen. You are annoying until you are famous and it’s harder for people to open up and really believe in what you are putting out there without the big production. In short, we are super thankful to Tom for believing in us and to all our fans who have stood by us from our subway days till now. In true Left On Red style, we will keep taking our own direction and making positive kick-ass music. The world will take notice when it’s ready.
PK: It looks as though you have a full tour schedule hitting Florida starting this weekend. What was the booking process like to book such an extended tour in one state? Any suggestions for artists hoping to do the same?
LA: Florida tour! Yes, it’s getting cold in NYC now and this will be our fourth run of Florida. We came down the first time upon a fan’s recomendation and only managed to book two gigs before getting to the Sunshine State. We figured that in the worst case scenario, we could busk on South Beach to fill our off days. Once we got to Florida, we performed at a songwriter’s showcase and people were psyched about our music and were really generous about sharing their contacts and favorite places to see music locally. We followed up and came back and continue to expand our miles and friends and fans as we go.
The process of booking the tour is ongoing but we made sure we had 3-6 gigs each week, and that we established residencies in the clubs we liked. We then took risks on new cities and venues because we knew what to expect and count on. My advice for acts hoping to to the same is to get on the road and not be afraid. To be tenacious and follow-up with people. To say thank you and express gratitude because it’s nice to do. To build a community with musicians doing the same thing as you and be interested in others. Also critical advise; “LIKE” Left On Red on facebook;)
PK: What’s up for you guys in the coming months?
LA: LOR will continue to play shows in Florida and NYC until we break for the Christmakuh/NewYears celebration time when the music biz will go into a delicious hibernation. In our off days from performing on this tour we are booking Spring and Summer 2013 and looking to do a National Tour and break into the festival circuit. We are also focusing on promoting our new album TRACKS. We are putting together material for our next album and may record it here in FL.
Pk: Thanks, Liah!
Featured Presskit: Drew Ryan’s Mixtape (Los Angeles)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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Using a Presskit for an Album!
Here at Indie Ambassador we’re all about people that are doing new, cool, and creative things to leave their mark in this ever-changing music world we live in. Whether you’re getting your music out there by busking on the streets, or dressing up as Jesus and singing on Chatroulette, being creative in the way that you market your music is key in today’s industry.
Enter Drew Ryan.
In promotion for his new single “Losing Hope,” Drew brainstormed marketing tactics to maximize exposure around his release. After soliciting some of his favorite Indie artists across the country, Drew compiled a Mixtape of artists to accompany the release of his single to draw in a larger audience. We caught up with Drew about how he released the Mixtape through his Presskit, which is what makes this week’s Featured ‘kit so unique! Remember, you can create a Presskit for more than one use!
Presskit.to: You used Presskit.to in a unique manner by creating a Presskit for your MixTape that was released in August. Can you tell us a little about how you used Presskit.to in the promotion of this release?
Drew Ryan: Presskit.to was a great way of offering up my single “Losing Hope” and my free mix tape exclusively through a digital release, which made it really easy to get the word out quickly to media outlets and fans. The unique and easy to navigate layout of my profile made uploading the tracks, artist info, images, videos, and other media that went along with it a painless effort on my end, and a fun experience for everyone who visits my page. I linked to my Presskit.to profile in my email blast to fans and media, and sent it out to over 1,500 people.
PK: You’ve included songs by several of your musician friends on your MixTape, all surrounding the release of your single “Losing Hope.” What was your thinking behind this marketing tactic, and how has it worked out so far?
DR: Since I was releasing a single, I wanted to give listeners something extra for taking the time to check it out. My track “Losing Hope” was a collaborative effort with my friend and platinum recording artist, Dylan Charbeneau. In keeping with the spirit of collaboration, I thought putting together a mix tape that included some of my friends’ music would be a great way to give listeners a cool freebie to download with my single, and to share some of my favorite bands with everyone. The best part is that all of the music on there is really different, and no one genre is the same. You’ll hear everything from hip-hop, to indie-rock, to an Americana folk singer you’d swear was straight out of the 1920s. So far, I am extremely lucky to have amazing people in my life who all support what I do, and I’ve received nothing but positive feedback on Losing Hope and the mix tape. People really love the concept, and since it’s completely free, they are happy to share it with their friends, which was my whole goal in doing this project.
PK: Any specific mixtape Wins you can tell us about?
DR: I was actually just approached via Facebook by a casting director who heard my mix tape and dug it, so she met me out in Hollywood to cast me for a web series pilot for the video site VEVO. She asked me to get her in touch with my friend Scout, who she also heard on the mix tape, because she wanted to audition her as well. I think Scout is touring up north in Washington now, so I*m not sure if she was able to do it, but yeah. I think that’s a pretty cool win so far.
PK: Do you have plans to release an EP or full-length album any time soon?
DR: I would love to start putting some of my newer stuff down and get a record going, but I’m really busy for the next few months being back in college and studying Environmental Sustainability. I think my next project will definitely tie in with what I’m learning and doing there, though there’s always something in the works.
PK: What’s up for you this Fall?
DR: I’ve got a gig in Vegas this weekend, but I’m mostly just concentrating on my schoolwork, my songwriting, and getting myself in the studio as much as possible. When I’m not in or reading for class, I’ve been reading a bunch of great books on how to be a more efficient songwriter. So, I guess I’ll be spending this Fall getting better at the things I love to do the most.
PK: Thanks, Drew!!
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Presskit Quick Tips:
- Presskits can have Multiple uses: Drew used one of the Presskits on his Pro plan to build a Presskit solely for his Mixtape. Artists can use this concept for upcoming album releases, tours, and more!
- Make the most out of your files: Drew uses the Files section to host all of the MP3’s and PDF Track listing for his Mixtape for the users to download. If you’re making a Presskit for a specific Album, try adding a Zipped folder of the tracks in your Files section!
Featured Presskit: Carosel (Paris, FR)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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“Where did this duo come from?!”
This was the first thought that went through my head while listening to Carosel’s cover of “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver on their Presskit. Interestingly enough, the answer to that question is quite complex.
Our friends in Carosel hail from across the Pond…the Atlantic, that is. Forming in Dublin, Ireland in 2007, the group has seen a number of successes ranging from Touring the UK, appearances in international press & radio, and a strong momentum following the release of their EP Stars. They’re now based in Paris, but keep strong ties in both Dublin and London.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Carosel’s own Michelle Phelan (Singer/Songwriter) and Emily Gonneau (Carosel’s Manager; Unicum Music) on their recent successes, and what’s coming up for them this fall. Be sure and check out Presskit.to/Carosel to listen to their music and learn more about the group!
-Mike
Presskit.to: How have you used Presskit.to to showcase Carosel’s career so far?
Michelle Phelan: As we sing in English and have had many various achievements from gigs to synchs and press in different countries, Presskit.to was the best tool to help us convey a general sense of all that was going on for Carosel as a whole, our situation being quite unusual (Irish band, Paris-based and with ties in London). And as we use SoundCloud a lot, it was really useful to be able to sync our songs with our Presskit.
PK: A lot of bands use covers as a marketing tactic to grow interest for their original music. Does Carosel have any unique strategies behind their cover song choices?
Michelle Phelan: So far I’ve just chosen songs that I’ve loved like, the Depeche Mode cover. Its a song I’ve always adored and hoped I’d do justice to. As for pop songs, I think when I find myself with something stuck on loop in my head I can’t help but want to try and recreate it stripped back. It happens organically as I keep singing it to myself and it evolves into a cover version. I think all songs should be able to stand alone acoustically and thats the test of a good song.
PK: In April the group successfully raised 2,500€ to fund the mixing and video shoot of “Je Reviens.” How has this Win been going so far?
MP: The song is now mixed and mastered and we are thrilled with it. It was so important for us to write something in French because of all the time we have spent in France. Its a country dear to my heart. The video is still in the prep stages; just getting some ideas now and we plan to shoot something this autumn.
PK: What’s happening next for Carosel?
EG: With the funds raised through the Oocto crowdfunding campaign, we will be shooting a video for “Je Reviens” in the coming month or so. Parallel to that, we have just finished a mini-album of 6 beautiful songs + 1 cover. We have just signed a publishing deal for Australia and New Zealand with Source Music and are about to announce another with a just as excellent publisher for the USA: Wonderlous. We are absolutely thrilled with these partnerships, as we are confident that they are respective teams that will help get our songs out to wider audiences worldwide. We will be progressively building up momentum before we release the mini-album - as we are talking to people, we can’t say anymore, but 2012 has been great and 2013 will be even greater!
PK: Thanks Emily & Michelle!!
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Presskit Quick Tips:
- Spice up your Images section: Carosel includes screenshots of their most recent press in the Images section of their Presskit. This adds diversity to their Media, and shows off their Wins visually!
- Make it easy for others to find you: Featured Links are a great way to direct industry professionals to your group’s most important web presences, so be sure and feature your 4 most important external links.
- Don’t forget your files: Carosel provides two versions of their logo in their Files section making it much easier to access their branding.
Featured Presskit: For Sleeping or Jumping (Boston, MA)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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For Sleeping or Jumping is like the angry middle child of your family—rebellious and unpredictable by nature. To call them “Metal” is an understatement, as the members of FSOJ push the limits of the genre with their raw musical ability and in-your-face live show. In fact, they’ve kicked enough ass to have members of Dillinger Escape Plan (Ben Weinman, Guitars) and Glassjaw (Ryan Siegel, Producer) work on their EP Dead Languages. With a large amount of buzz from the press and a new record on the way, For Sleeping or Jumping is quickly blowing up from the Boston scene and overloading your home stereo.
We sat down with FSOJ’s Drummer Taylor Pile last week to ask him a few questions about how they’ve been using Presskit.to/ForSleepingorJumping to book shows, earn press write-ups, and employ various marketing tactics.
Presskit.to: How have you used Presskit.to/ForSleepingorJumping to showcase your career thus far?
Taylor Pile: Where do I start..
Press: While I am not a publicist, I do often reach out to blogs personally after they have featured us - letting them know they can check our Presskit to stay updated with us for all things touring, album releases, and make sure to check our “Wins” to check out the bands momentum!
Music! (Duh): We are currently working on a full length album. Since Presskit.to gives users the ability to share private content and revoke its access at any time, our band will be able to share exclusive content with the team helping release our next effort (demos, mixes, etc.).
TP: I have made custom Flash Drives for our band that have all our music, videos, contact info, etc. on them (which conveniently fit on your keychain!). We use these to send promotional material out to radio stations or labels, and have already landed a good amount of people on our team because of them. The thing is - information often changes, so I always include a link to our Presskit saved on the flash drive with a quick note that this is a great way to see what’s been going on since the date on the postage stamp!
PK: You guys shot music videos for “Beardrops.” and “Bone of Contention.” How has this helped to showcase the band when you’re sending out your Presskit to Industry contacts?
TP: The videos - that were so kindly and well done by Chris Thomas of Strewnshank Productions - have been one of the biggest catalysts for the success our band is seeing today. They have been featured on Alternative Press (twice), MetalSucks (twice), Metal Insider (twice) The PRP, AOL Music, Highwire Daze - I could keep going or you could just check my Presskit to see who’s been taking notice to our band due to the videos.
Featured Presskit: Vinyl Thief (Nashville, TN)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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Vinyl Thief is not the kind of group you would expect to hear while walking the streets of Nashville, TN. Proving that “Nashville music doesn’t have to come from the back of a cowboy’s pickup truck or from somewhere inside Jack White’s garage,” their Electro-Rock sound certainly lives up to the juxtaposition they pride themselves on. We caught up with Vinyl Thief Publicist Wes Davenport for an interview about how he incorporates Presskit.to/VinylThief into his role, the band’s recent accomplishments with Hypebot and Kickstarter, and what the group has in store for the fall.
Presskit.to: How have you used Presskit.to to showcase Vinyl Thief’s career thus far?
Wes Davenport: Every email I send out has a hyperlink to Vinyl Thief’s press kit in my signature. If it’s a press pitch, it’s always in the body as well. Having that link there is such an essential thing. Journalists and bloggers are very time-constrained people. They live life on deadline.
Featured Presskit: The Shills (Boston, MA)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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We’ve been good friends with The Shills for a number of years now and have worked with them in a few capacities, from collaborating on projects back in the Sidehatch days, to their more recent Presskit.to Bus Session at SXSW. In addition to being genuinely awesome guys, they make some sweet, sweet music.
Now we’re happy to see they’re getting the most out of their Presskit. Read the interview below to see what guitarist Ryan Jackson had to say about how they used Presskit.to to promote the release of their new EP, Keep Your Hands Busy: Vol. 1, and which Presskit feature they find especially intriguing.
Presskit.to: How have you used the Presskit.to/TheShills to showcase your career thus far?
Ryan Jackson: It’s been a great tool, and it’s great to have such easy access to all of our information in one place. The wins section is really clever. Losing track of a band’s progress overtime is pretty easy to do, but the wins section is a great reminder as well as an awesome organizational tool for showcasing accomplishments.
Pk: You guys have used a video press kit to accompany your Presskit - and we must say, it looks impressive! Has this helped you score any notable Wins?
RJ: Yeah, Crickie Thomas from Strewnshank Productions did an amazing job on the video! It definitely helped us score a slot on a sold out show opening for Kishi Bashi (Of Montreal, Sondre Lerche, Regina Spektor) and Tall Tall Trees at the end of July. We also used it to land a gig hosted by 92.5 The River at Hard Rock Cafe. The video has helped put us on the radar of some other music industry pros as well.
Pk: What role have your press kits played with the release of your EP, Keep Your Hands Busy: Vol. 1?
RJ: We did our Boston release at the Brighton Music Hall. The video press kit helped out so much with the promotion of the show. It came out at the perfect time and helped us in getting great press and awesome turn out at the show.
Presskit.to was useful in getting all of our information to newspapers, magazines, and blogs. It’s extremely easy to use and has all the possible information that they would need about us right there.
Pk: What’s up for you guys this Fall?
RJ: We have a lot going on in September. We’ll be playing a show with The Memorials (Thomas Pridgen formerly of The Mars Volta). There’s also a show at Berklee’s Cafe 939 with Strange Changes and Bear Language, which we’re really looking forward to. We’ll also be playing the Allston Village Street Fair, New Haven, CT, NYC, and King Orchid’s album release in Allston.
October will be kind of quiet for us. Our drummer James is going on an Australian, Canadian, and possibly South American Tour running sound for Jordan Knight.
For late fall we’re in the works of setting up a special show with one of our favorite bands from the 90’s/early 00’s. We’ll also be starting production on the 2nd installment of Keep Your Hands Busy.
Pk: Awesome, thanks guys!
Featured Presskit: Emilie Chick (Montpellier, France)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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We talk to Emily Gonneau of Unicum Music and manager of French-American bad girl crooner Emilie Chick, about the evolution of Emilie’s press kit from a good old word doc to a Presskit.to ‘kit, how she came up with Emilie’s awesome tag line, crowdfunding strategy, and Emilie Chick’s plans for the future!
Presskit.to: How have you used Presskit.to to showcase Emilie’s career thus far?
Emily Gonneau: When we discovered Presskit.to, we immediately realized the potential for Emilie’s career. Up until then we had been updating a good old word document for her press kit and saving it as a pdf with hypertext links which was okay but not as practical as having her Presskit.to profile. And since Emilie is French-American and Presskit.to is only available in English for the moment, we still use a pdf presskit for the French contacts but send out the Presskit.to profile to all English speaking contacts in the business. As we develop her more in English speaking countries, Presskit.to will prove a really valuable, time-saving and slick professional tool to develop her and help focus on all the other aspects of her career.
Pk: Emilie’s tagline is great. “Alternative bad-girl, crooner, spoken word and jazz diva. Groovy Soul spiced up with Hip-Hop, Jazz, Electro & explosive live performances.” Could you give a few words of advice on creating that kind of intense tagline?
EG: Glad you like her tagline! Creating a tag-line is never easy, especially when your artist does such a blend of original music infused with many styles. So we wanted to reflect that but not just only from the purely musical point of view. We wanted and needed her tagline to showcase Emilie as an artist who’s music completely reflects who she is as a person. Hence the tagline we eventually came up with.
Pk: I noticed she just completed a crowd funding project for her new EP. How did your team get the word out? Anything you might do differently in future crowd funding campaigns?
EG: There are many great crowd funding startups out there so it was hard to choose, but we decided to go with a young one called Oocto because they were really hungry, helpful and efficient and them being French also made complete sense because that is where Emilie’s fans are majoritarily based for the time being. Emilie was the mastermind of the campaign, she knew exactly what she wanted to do and we just budgeted how much we need to raise to get that done. Then she thought long and hard at all the goodies / counterparts she was ready to give back to fans according to the amount they would donate to her project.
To be honest, Oocto informed us she was more generous than other artists and was she sure she wanted to keep such a high level but that is just who Emilie is, so we didn’t dilute them! As to getting the word out, Emilie and her band rounded up their contacts, reached out to family and friends first and just kept reminding people the campaign was there until its end date. As a result, not only did she raise the full amount, but 2 days before the end, a mystery fan donated the maximum amount - it turned out he had discovered her at one the gigs she played and was so awed, he just went for it. So if there are 2 pieces of advice we would give about doing these campaigns, they would be: 1/ know your fans and caliber the different levels of donations according to them, 2/ any artist milestone or activity are extra helpful for artists to remind their fans of their campaign as touring and gigs especially are personal, timely and all in real life.
Pk: What’s in store for Emilie Chick in the near future?
EG: LOADS! Er- where to start? Emilie is currently putting the finishing touches to her new EP : new songs, new image, new style, much more in synch with her current live shows than her first album that came out 2 years ago now. Depending on when all is ready, it should be released beginning of 2013. Emilie recently signed to a French indie booking agency so she will also continue playing many gigs, essentially in France for the moment, except for some in European countries for a beautiful jazz side project she has been working on with the Webster-Wraight Ensemble. It is due out in the next 6 months - date and label still tbc yet but Jamie Cullum premiered a first track on his BBC 2 radio show last Friday. She also has collaborations in store with a fresh up and coming French rap & hip-hop collective called La Fronce and loads of other collaborations we unfortunately cannot mention yet…
Featured Presskit: Brian Marquis (Los Angeles, CA)
We’re psyched to announce that our featured Presskits are now supported by Audio Cotton. Need tees? Audio Cotton will make it happen and has some really affordable options, including one off prints.
Check them out at http://audiocotton.com, and be on the lookout for their new website launching soon.
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We’ll be regularly interviewing Presskit users here on the blog about what’s currently going on in their careers and how they’re making the most of their ‘kits. Our first interview is with singer / songwriter Brian Marquis. Keep reading to see how Brian plans to use his Presskit for booking agent and publicist interaction. Additionally, check out Ben’s video interview with him at Warped Tour where he gives us an update on the success of his Acoustic Basement stage on this summer’s tour!
Presskit.to: How have you used Presskit.to to showcase your career thus far?
Brian Marquis: I plan on directing booking agents to my Presskit.to page to give them a quick screenshot of what i’m up to without all the social media interruptions, distractions and what not. Clean and simple, music, images, info.
Pk: What role will your Presskit play with the release of your new EP?
BM: I’ll use it mostly as a sort of “one-sheet” for my release to give to press and other outlets looking for quick information.
Pk: How’s the Acoustic Basement going so far? Can you tell us about a few Wins that have happened since the start of tour?
BM: We are 20 shows deep into the 2012 Vans Warped Tour and the first year for the all new Acoustic Basement stage. It’s been incredible so far how positive people have been reacting to this new stage/idea. We’ve almost had a full tent for all the artists and some stellar performances and some pleasant surprises.
Mike Herrera of MxPx was out for a few days and ended up joining Kristopher Roe of The Ataris with some classic covers of Rancid, Descendants and ALL. Anti-Flag’s Justin Sane and Chris #2 have stopped by from time to time to play some covers and rarities. Rome from Sublime with Rome came out in Irvine and played a few of his solo songs and a bit of Sublime which was pretty cool. John Nolan of Taking Back Sunday has been stopping by once in a while to play some solo songs and a few Straylight Run tracks which has been a lot of fun. Sleeping With Sirens has been bringing a rabid Elvis’ rated teen crowd for the few dates they’ve been playing, they are blowing up. The Company We Keep featuring members of The Receiving End of Sirens and Misery Signals were joined by their non-touring member Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack in Minneapolis which was fun to see as well. Make Do and Mend and Skinny Lister from London have been also frequenting the stage and playing awesome sets.
It’s been great out here and the acoustic basement sticks together like a gang. All of the main acts on the stage have been amazing and laying it down every day. Into It. Over It., Vinnie Caruana of I Am the Avalanche and Kristopher Roe of The Ataris were on the first few weeks and killed it every day. We miss them dearly but not we have Geoff Rickly of Thursday for the rest of the tour and reggae folk artist Owen Plant bringing some heavy island vibes to the stage. Koji, Transit, A Loss for Words, Anthony Raneri of Bayside have all been killing it each day as well. For me playing is the best part of my day when I get to turn off my phone and work radio and just play my songs and some fun covers. It’s been a blast out here and we still have 21 shows to go.
Make sure to stop by the Acoustic Basement when you come to your Warped date and follow us on Twitter @AcousticBSMNT.
Pk: What’s your plan after Warped? (other than having a cold one and taking a nap)
BM: I plan to go on vacation with my girlfriend, visit some family and then get right back to writing for a full length album I plan to record this fall.
