Rock for Love 5!

Rock for Love 5, the fifth-annual benefit concert for the Church Health Center, is set for Aug. 18-21 at the Hi-Tone, 1913 Poplar Ave. There will also be a free early evening party from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 19 at Goner Records, 2152 Young Ave. And a free day party from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20 at Shangri-La Records, 1916 Madison Ave.

Since its founding in 2007, Rock for Love has been produced in partnership with Makeshift Music as a way to raise money for the Center and celebrate the diversity of Memphis music with performances by some of the city’s best bands and artists.

Thursday, Aug. 18 at the Hi Tone
$5. 9 p.m. 18+
Star & Micey, the Near Reaches, Brian Hartley Industries, Grace Askew, DJ Lady Problems
(emcee: Billie Worley)

Friday, Aug. 19 at Goner Records Gazebo
FREE. 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All-ages. 
Richard James and the Special Riders, Sharp Balloons
(emcee: Jeff Hulett)

Friday, Aug. 19 at the Hi Tone
$10. 9 p.m. 18+
Pezz, the Angel Sluts, Glorie, Cities Aviv, Arma Secreta, DJ Lady Problems
(emcee: Dr. Harold Toboggans)

Saturday, Aug. 20 at Shangri-La Records– Rock for Love 5 Day Party 
FREE. Noon to 5 p.m. All-ages.
Bake Sale, the Wuvbirds, the Perfect Vessels, Silver Seeds
(emcee: J.D. Reager)

Saturday, Aug. 20 at the Hi Tone. 
$10. 9 p.m. 18+
Oracle and the Mountain, the Subteens, the Burning Sands, Kruxe, Tiger High
(emcees: Chris Vernon and Gary Parrish)

Sunday, Aug. 21 at the Hi Tone
$10. 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 
The Bo-Keys w/ Wayne Jackson, John Kilzer, Susan Marshall
(emcee: Marvin Stockwell)

Tickets are available online at HiToneMemphis.com or at the door, if available. Shangri-La will donate 20 percent of store sales from the day party to the Church Health Center, and donations will be accepted.

Memphis Music Launch This Weekend!

The Memphis Music Foundation in connection with Launch Memphis is proud to present an exciting new city-wide collaborative project - Memphis Music Launch. Presented by Archer Malmo, this innovative experiment will be the first ever of its kind, and will bring together songwriters, singers, rappers, musicians, engineers, producers, marketing representatives, graphic designers and volunteer entertainment attorneys, among others, whose only previous connection might have been sharing an area code.

Imagine it: an intensely focused weekend during which you and a team of creative-minded individuals work together around the clock to take a music concept from hair-brained idea to a full-fledged single — written, performed, and recorded — in just 48 hours. On Friday, April 8, all Memphis Music Launch participants will gather at the Emerge Memphis building before breaking into small groups to begin work on the top ideas selected by a group vote at the pre-event pitch day (Saturday, April 2nd). 48 hours later, the songs must be completely written and a “first draft” recording made.

Over the course of the 90 days following the weekend of April 8-10, groups will work to create polished recordings in four of the top studios in Memphis (Ardent Studios, Archer’s Music + Arts Studio, Young Avenue Sound, and The Grove), leading up to a July showcase with a ton of prizes awarded based on votes from the audience and a panel of judges.  Among the prizes are a pressing and distribution deal with Audiographics Masterworks and Select-O-Hits, a photo shoot by Joey Miller, logo and branding assistance from SACHË, designed merchandise from Bluff City Sports, a paid performance at the Peabody Rooftop Party booked by REG, and a bonus cash prize.

The event will literally be an around-the-clock undertaking, with food and drinks provided throughout the Memphis Music Launch weekend by the Beale Street Merchants Association.  Other event sponsors making this undertaking possible are Independent Bank, Center City Commission, Burch, Porter, and Johnson PLLC, Downtowner, and Memphis Flyer.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to launch that song, band, or big music idea you’ve wanted to release but lacked the time or resources to do so.  Early bird tickets are discounted and will be available through April 2, so reserve yours today and spread the word.

For detailed answers to questions you may have, visit www.memphismeansmusic.com/MML

If you have additional questions, email cameron@memphismeansmusic.com or john@memphismeansmusic.com for more information.

GRAMMY GPS: Exploring the Resurgence of Vinyl

Help us celebrate Record Store Day as we discuss the resurgence of vinyl in today’s marketplace. Topics that will be covered include recording, mixing, and mastering for vinyl as well as using vinyl as a medium to push marketing. Our expert panelists will go through the production process from mastering to self-marketing and selling at the indie retail level.

SUBMIT YOUR VINYL RECORD FOR THE LISTENING SESSION WHEN YOU REGISTER!

Panelists to include:
John Fry – vinyl cutter, owner and founder at Ardent Studios
Larry Nix – mastering engineer and vinyl cutter at L. Nix Mastering
Scott Hull – mastering engineer and vinyl cutter at Masterdisk NYC
Eric Astor – vinyl manufacturing and distribution at Furnace Manufacturing
Jeff Powell – independent producer/engineer and vinyl cutter at Take Out Vinyl

Recording Academy Members: Complimentary admission
Non-members: $20

SPACE IS LIMITED. PLEASE RSVP HERE:
http://www.grammy365.com/events/memphis-grammy-gps-roadmap-todays-music-biz-exploring-resurgence-vinyl

Folk Alliance International Public Night on 2/16/11

Wednesday, February 16th

Downtown Marriott in Memphis, TN

Doors at 7 PM

$15 wristbands for 2nd floor shows on sale at Bluff City Coffee, Java Cabana, or online at www.romanceofloneliness.com/folkalliance

Paul Thorn, Over the Rhine, Amy LeVere, Abigail Washburn, Bo-Keys, and more.

More info at

Thursday, February 17th – Saturday, February 19th

Downtown Crown Plaza

Doors at 8 PM (Donations accepted)

Dr. Burt, Calvin Cok, Del Grace & More

More information at www.folk.org

Huey Lewis at Minglewood Hall 1/27/11

Huey Lewis & The News w/ The City Champs @ Minglewood Hall

Thursday Jan 27, 2011 8:00 PM

Bring your Minglewood Hall Huey Lewis and the News concert ticket stub to the Stax Museum Jan 27th through July 31st and receive:
• Two for one admission to the Stax Museum 
• $20 autographed Huey Lewis and the News “Soulsville” CD for $15 while supply lasts 
• Special price on autographed Steve Roberts photo of Huey Lewis (more details to come)

Huey Lewis and The News have been defying the rock oddsmakers for three decades. 2009 marked the group’s 30th anniversary. Formed from two rival Bay Area bands in 1979, their contagious brand of straight-ahead rock n’ roll has outlasted countless trends, selling over 20 million albums worldwide in the process. Huey Lewis & The News have carried the banner as the quintessential American rock band, endearing them to millions of fans and earning them the right to mark their place on the pop history map.

These Grammy Award winners have written and performed such classic Top Ten Hits as “Heart of Rock & Roll”, “Stuck With You”, “I Want A New Drug”, “If This Is It”, “Hip To Be Square” and “Workin’ For A Livin’”. The group also wrote and performed “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time” for the hit film Back To The Future. “The Power of Love”, which was nominated for an Academy Award, went all the way to #1 on Billboard’s singles chart.

Huey Lewis and The News have released their first album in nine years on W.O.W. Records titled Soulsville. Recorded at historic Ardent Studios in Memphis, the album features 14 classic songs from the vault of Stax Records. The CD pays tribute to the rich Stax legacy of the 1960’s & 70’s. The band, joined by their long time horn section, capture the energy and excitement of this important era.

As great a recording career as the band has had, it’s their live performances that remain the stuff of legend. They have toured worldwide continuously for more than 30 years. Huey Lewis & The News incorporate a variety of musical influences, including R&B and soul, to create their own unique sound. One of the highlights of their show is their a cappella rendition of early rock n’ roll classics such as “Sixty Minute Man”, “Under The Boardwalk” and “It’s Alright.”

 

  

Making Money in the New Music Industry

This Saturday, January 22, 2011, the Memphis Music Foundation will hold a panel on licensing and publishing entitled Making Money in the New Music Industry. One of the panelists will be our own Elizabeth Montgomery, whose years of experience with Ardent give her a wealth of knowledge on the topics at hand. The panel will take place at the Memphis Music Resource Center at 431 S. Main Street in downtown Memphis. RSVP at licensing.eventbrite.com today!

From the press release:

“While overall cd sales fell once again in 2010, all hope is not lost for making money in the music industry.  It’s true that artists are selling fewer physical albums, however, there are increasingly more opportunities available to exploit your music through licensing and publishing efforts.

Have you ever wondered what a sync or master use license could net you if you land a track on a tv show, in a film or a videogame?  We’ll discuss that as well as how music publishers work with performance rights organizations, discover how independent artists are making the most of their music in a new world of licensing opportunities, and more.

This seminar event will be moderated by Angela Green, a local entertainment attorney and head of PFM Publishing, and will feature presenters Katherine Sage from Red Wax Music Publishing andElizabeth Montgomery from Ardent Records/Studios.

This Licensing and Publishing workshop will take place on Saturday, January 22, from 1-4 pm.  RSVP to reserve your spot and begin working to get your next (or first) licensing deal ASAP!”

Jim Gaines Receives Note on Historic Beale Street

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEMPHIS, TN  – 25 October 2010 – Brass Notes on Beale for Jim Gaines, Sandy Carroll

Notes in the Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame were dedicated on Thursday, October 28, at 5:30 pm inside the Hard Rock Café for record producer Jim Gaines and singer Sandy Carroll. The husband and wife team have each had successful separate careers. John Fry of Ardent Studios spoke at the event.

Sandy Carroll was “one of the first entertainers on Beale Street” after the redevelopment, according to John Elkington. Carroll was a house band singer at Lafayette’s Corner, the site of the present Wet Willie’s. In addition to singing and playing piano, she also is a songwriter.  She has co-written songs for blues guitarist Albert King and Luther Allison.

Gaines recorded Huey Lewis & the News’ demo that resulted in his first album and produced the group’s first four albums. Since then, GRAMMY-winning Gaines has recorded an diverse array of artists including Santana, Ana Popovic, Stevie Ray Vaughn,  and Luther Allison. Their note ceremony took place at the Hard Rock, the site of a former recording studio where Gaines produced a number of albums.

The Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame was established in 1986 by Performa Entertainment Real Estate to tie the traditions of historic Beale Street to the new Beale Street Entertainment District. Biographies of the honorees may be found at www.bealestreet.com.

In the picture, L to R: Ralph Arista, drummer Bill Gibson, guitarist/saxophonist Johnny Colla, engineer Jim Gaines, 2nd assistant Lydia Gilman (seated), Huey Lewis, assistant Curry Weber, and keyboardist Sean Hopper.

“Trams, Jams, and Elvis” Premiers at Indie Memphis Film Festival

Famed independent singer/songwriter Robyn Hitchcock made his way across the pond from his native England last year to attend the Indie Memphis Film Festival, which is held every year right down the street from Ardent Studios. While in the neighborhood, Hitchcock came by Ardent to do some recording.

Hitchcock’s stop at Ardent was originally intended to be a very quick trip, including very basic tracking and mixing of a couple songs which were then going to be immediately mastered to vinyl and were to become the first release under Indie Memphis Records. The whole process was to be documented by filmmaker Peter Gilbert. When they arrived at the studio and began tracking, the help of studio manager and Big Star dummer Jody Stephens was enlisted, and the project ended up being extended into a full day in the studio. Hitchcock recorded a simple acoustic version of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line,” and then a song that he wrote called “Thank You, Time Girl” to which Stephens lent his talents in the way of drums, background vocals, and additional percussion. Jeff Powell engineered the tracking and mixing with Lucas Peterson assisting. The tracks were mastered to vinyl the next day by Larry Nix of L. Nix mastering, inside Ardent.

Indie Memphis will be pressing a limited run of 500 vinyls of the recording. A mockup was available for viewing at the premier.

The documentary focusing on the entire experience is called “Trams, Jams, and Elvis,” and was presented by The Memphis Chapter of the Recording Academy and Indie Memphis at this year’s festival.

The screening was at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art on October 23rd. Directly following was a Q&A with filmmaker Peter Gilbert and Recording Academy Board Members Jody Stephens and Jeff Powell.

(In the photo above, L to R: Robyn Hitchcock, Jeff Powell, Jody Stephens, and filmmaker Peter Gilbert.)

Robyn Hitchcock: Trams, Jams & Elvis (34 min.) follows singer / songwriter Robyn Hitchcock on his exploration of Memphis during the 2009 Indie Memphis Film Festival. The film gives a fly-on-the-wall perspective of Robyn’s creative process as he records new songs at Ardent Studios, and culminates with his live acoustic performance, which closed the 2009 festival.

Burning Ice (86 min.) follows a group of 45 world-renowned artists, musicians and scientists as they travel to the High Arctic to witness the effects of climate change. Traveling on a Russian ice-breaker up the west coast of Greenland are musicians Robin Hitchcock, KT Tunstall, Martha Wainright, Lesley Feist, Jarvis Cocker and Ryuichi Sakamoto; performance artist Laurie Anderson; photographer Chris Wainwright and poet Lemn Sissay. As scientists study the glaciers and ocean currents, the sheer beauty of the landscape inspires an extraordinary outpouring of art projects, music and song. The formula is simple yet unique; put a group of musicians, artists and scientists and communicators aboard a boat. Give them a common goal: to learn from each other, influence each other and to stimulate ideas and the production of art founded in scientific research. Using creativity to innovate artists are involved to communicate on a human scale the urgency of engaging with climate change.

Memphis Means Music Week Kick-Off: Ardent Studios Open House & Tours

Join us this Friday, October 22nd at Ardent Studios for an open house kick-off celebration of Memphis Means Music Week. We’ll be giving tours from 4:00 – 6:30 PM with food and drinks from 5:0 – 7:00 PM.

Please RSVP to elizabeth@memphismeansmusic.com and we hope to see you this Friday!

Check out the event on Facebook!

http://www.memphismeansmusic.com/programs/m3week/

Stax Museum Honors Huey Lewis and the News

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, TN honored GRAMMY winners Huey Lewis and the News on Thursday, October 28th with a public reception celebrating the release of their new album ‘Soulsville.” Huey Lewis was in attendance! The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at historic Ardent Studios.

The event was open to the public. Guests had an opportunity to purchase personalized autographed CDs as well as being the first to hear cuts from the new album. All proceeds went to benefit the Stax Music Academy.

There was also a special VIP event from 6:00 – 7:00 PM. Guests had an opportunity to get a photo, personalized autographed CD, and the opportunity to hear students of the Stax Music Academy.

‘Soulsville’ is Huey Lewis and the News’ first album in nine years and will be released on W.O.W. Records. Recorded at historic Ardent Studios in Memphis, the album features 14 classic songs from the vault of Stax Records, including “Respect Yourself” and “Got to Get You Off My Mind.” Considered to be the preeminent soul music label in America, Stax was home to artists like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T & The MG’s, and Isaac Hayes, and produced an astounding number of hit records throughout the 1960′s & 70′s. Ably paying tribute to the rich Stax legacy, Huey Lewis and the News, joined by their long time horn section, capture the energy and excitement of this important era.

‘Soulsville’ re-unites Huey Lewis and the News with co-producer Jim Ganes (‘Sports,’ ‘Fore!’) who worked at the Stax and Ardent Studios as a young man and was involved in many of the label’s original recordings.

“We’re especially proud of the collection” says Lewis, who has been previewing material from the album while on a critically acclaimed summer tour. “There should be a number of surprises for everyone.”

For the cover of ‘Soulsville’ (pictures above), acclaimed Memphis folk artist Lamar Sorrento has created a striking, affectionate caricature of a Memphis street corner. Complete with musicians, rib joints, and of course, WDIA, the country’s first black radio station, Sorrento captures the spirit and energy of Memphis just as vibrantly as Lewis and the News do on their new album.

The event on Facebook

http://www.soulsvilleusa.com

Check out a clip of Huey talking about the new record (and Ardent!) on MSNBC.

For more information or to discuss media opportunities, please contact:

Doug Carpenter

Doug Carpenter and Associates, LLC

(901) 372-5100

doug@doug-carpenter.com

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