Freio Music

Introduction Episode – Freio Music Podcast

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The Freio Music Podcast

Episode 00 - Introduction

Overview

This episode is an overview about the Freio Music Podcast

Description

This short episode of the Freio Music Podcast provides you with an overview of the podcast itself. This episode lays out my hopes and dreams for the podcast. I discuss the layout and format of future episodes and reveal who has 'the cutest voice in the world'. If you want to hear artist interviews you can skip to the next episode as this episode only features me, the host of the podcast, aka Michael Morahan. Welcome to the Freio Music Podcast!

Links

The Freio Music Podcast Links:

 

About the Freio Music Podcast

FreioMusic.com/Podcast

SoundCloud

 

 

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MVP – Minimum Viable Promotion

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MVP – Minimum Viable Promotion

Seven steps to launch your music properly!

Ok so you have your music recorded and now you want to get it out to the world… You might be wondering “Where do I start?” or “What do I need to do to launch my new album and not hear crickets?”.  If you are a musician and have wondered about the how to get your new music heard this blog post is for you.

To be clear, I will not post any affiliate links in this post, which means I am not financially incentivized to send you in one direction or another.  I am merely providing and summarizing my knowledge acquired from years of building websites, promoting, and consuming music.   My hope is that this post will save you some time and help get you started on making productive moves now.

So now that you have your musical idea recorded, polished, and bounced (as an MP3) it is time for the big day.  The day you release it to the world. Are you launching on a solid foundation?  This post will help you answer that for yourself.

This bullet-pointed list is an outline of the topics I will discuss in greater detail throughout the rest of this post.

 

Let’s start out with the 21st-century basics (#’s 1-4) and then the timeless high impact steps.  

  1. You need a website

  2. You need social profiles

  3. Distribution Plan

  4. Email Sign-Up List

  5. Merchandise

  6. Branding

  7. Concert Schedule

 

#1 A Website:

A website might be the most daunting and intimidating task to start on.  Keep in mind there are many free or low-cost options.  NO, a SoundCloud profile does not count as your website!  If you are looking for a great free option I suggest you look at WordPress.com.

 

Best Free Options:  

WordPress.com (the .com is important!)

BandCamp.com

 

WordPress.com

Pros:

Free – Free Hosting and free SubDomain (YourBand.WordPress.com)

Very Flexible,

Freedom of design and layout

Cons:

Some Hands-on effort required.

You will need to set it up, but it has amazing tutorials and resources.  You can start here

You do not own the domain. You only get to customize the subdomain (example:  YourBand.WordPress.com rather than YourBand.com)

BandCamp.com

Pros:

Free – Free Hosting

Semi-Flexible,

Musician Friendly – All websites are designed for musicians, so it is extremely easy to set up.

Cons:

Limited customizability

You do not own the domain name – You only get to customize the subdomain

 

Best Low-Cost Options:

WordPress.org (.org is important)

BandZoogle.com

Wix.com

SquareSpace.com

If you are looking for a low-cost way to manage your own website I suggest you look at WordPress.org or other third-party providers such as BandZoogle.com (Musician Friendly),  Wix.com or SquareSpace.com.

Suggested option:  WordPress.org 

Pros:

You own everything! – Custom Domain (example:  YourBand.com)

Unlimited Flexibility – if you can dream it you can build it!

Don’t split your hard earned revenue.

You can sell your music or merch on your store and never have to split the revenue with anyone (other than the payment processor and uncle sam, or your countries government)

It is free! – But you must pay for hosting (can choose any hosting provider).

Open source – Which means it is always evolving in amazing ways without paying a dime for the updates!  (think Android operating system).

Cons:

Must pay for a custom domain (yearly) and hosting (typically monthly).

These are the minimum costs that everyone must pay if they want to own and manage their own website and domain.  These fees are not associated with WordPress.  WordPress does not dictate the fees for your domain and is not charging you to host (or store) your files.  But you must pay for your domain and hosting in order for WordPress.ORG to work.  

You are in charge of everything, and if something goes wrong, it is your fault. You must fix it.

(Pro tip:  if you are confused about something, call your host, they can usually help you understand what is going on or fix what is broken).

 

BandZoogle is designed for musicians.

There is a monthly fee to run your site.  They host your site but there are a limited number of things you can do to your site.  You still need to buy your domain from a third party.  BandZoogle is competitively priced and provides you with a domain upon paying them.  There are some limitations regarding the number of songs, photos, and email subscribers and you may need a higher tier depending on your needs.  You can check BandZoogle’s pricing here.

Wix & Squarespace

Wix and Squarespace are pretty similar to each other.  They are designed to be for everyone who wants a website, so it is not musician-specific.  Both are easy to design and manage with WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors.  I believe that both providers will enable you to buy your domain through their service.  You will still need to pay them monthly for hosting.  There are more design possibilities with these providers than BandZoogle but it is not an ‘out of the box’ solution for musicians and you will need to customize it to suit your needs.  Check out Wix Pricing here.  Check out Squarespace Pricing here.

 

#2 Social Profiles

By now you should be familiar with the major social networks and even if you don’t use them, other people do.  You want your music, your band, and your brand to be visible and consistent on the major platforms.  Do you need a profile on all platforms, ‘no’!  You should only commit to having profiles on networks that you will update.  I suggest you have at least three profiles/ pages set up so that people can find you online.

You do not need to update them daily but some consistency will help you gain some traction.  Try to have your username be ‘YourBand’.  (example on Twitter:  Twitter.com/YourBand @YourBand or facebook.com/yourband).  If you have a commonly used phrase or name for your band (ex: @sky) it might be difficult to get that username.  Try adding music to the end of it. (ex @skyMusic).

(Pro tip:  you can use a service like IFTTT.com to automatically share updates, posts, tweets, etc across your social networks. For example, when you update your WordPress website, you can automatically post it to FaceBook, or Twitter etc.  Or when you update your facebook page it will automatically tweet it out to your twitter followers. You can set it up in any way you want, just watch out for creating a loop, which will infinitely repost a repost, of a repost, of a repost… you get the point).

  • Suggested Networks:
    • SoundCloud, Facebook Group & Page, Twitter, Instagram.
  • Optional:
    • Beatport, Periscope, MixCloud, iTunes Connect (Artist Page), Google+, Bandcamp, many others

 

#3 Distribution Plan:

Think about how people will consume your music.  Streaming is the new norm for many people.  You should take steps to get your music on iTunes, Spotify, and Pandora at the minimum.  Google Play and Amazon Music are on the rise and many more digital stores are out there.  This process can be confusing for some and there are professional distributors out there to help you out. Here is a short video to give you the basics and what to look out for when choosing a distributor.  In short, you want to make sure that you retain ownership of your music and that you earn 100% of your music’s revenue.  Do your homework!  Just reading these few paragraphs is not enough.  Make sure your music is distributed properly and that you get the money you deserve when your music sells or is streamed.

Many of these distributors, such as TuneCore will help get your music into many different digital stores.  You must pay these distributors for their services.  Why use a distributor?  They have experience with the process and will guide you along the way.  Their job is to get your music out there and into the ears of your fans.  They will help you but you must pay them for their services. Some distributors are country specific so be sure to make sure that the distributor you choose operates in your country.  They can help you keep track of your data across many different platforms.

How do you get your music on iTunes?

You can reference this list of authorized or ‘trusted’ distribution partners for the iTunes store.  Here is a great resource from iTunes.  Reference the list provided to ensure you have everything you need to be accepted to the iTunes store, these requirements will likely change over time so use the link to get the official requirements. As of the date of this writing, you will need to have the legal rights to sell that music, a Universal Product Code (UPC) and an International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) for your music.  You also need an Apple ID and a Tax ID.

Who is your distributor of choice?  Let me know in the comments below.

 

#4 Email List:

Setting up an email list is easier than you may think.  You can grab a notebook and a few pens and set it on your merch table as you perform.  On the top write something like want to be notified when our next album drops?  Or if you are willing to do it, you can write:  ” Like free music?  Sign up and we will send you a track (or album) for free!”  Ok, ok I know the younger generation is thinking “paper is so old fashion!”.  Well, who wants to leave an iPad unattended at a show?  So you can transfer the paper list to a digital list after you perform.  Better yet you can have a mailing list sign up form on your website (digital start to finish).  MailChimp is pretty intuitive to set up and is free for 2,000 subscribers or less.  You can connect it to your website, social networks and manually add people to your list (such as your paper lists for each show).  You can tag your subscribers so you know where they signed up.  If you are a touring band this can be especially helpful.  Pretend you are touring and you gathered 70 emails during one of your shows.  You can then send out a targeted email to those 70 subscribers letting them know that you just released a live recording from the show or that you will be touring through their city again and they can buy tickets now.  The possibilities are endless.  Yes, emails are useful.  You can use your email lists to sell tickets, music, merch and more.  Start collecting now and you can reap the rewards for years to come!

 

#5 Merchandise

You can maximize your revenue when you perform by having merch.  It should be noted that good band branding is critical.  Read the next section on branding to maximize your impact.  You can burn your CDs for minimal cost and sell them at your show.  If you are the opening act at a show, crush it and get some of the main acts fans to become your fans as well. At the end of your set mention on the mic that you will be at the merch table at the back and will have CDs and merch for sale.  During the main performance go and man /woman the merch table.  Give people a bonus whether it is a hug or a free sticker with the purchase of an album it makes a difference.  Not having anything to sell is a mistake.  So take the time beforehand to burn 10-15 CDs and put them in a backpack with your other gear.  Bring it and try to sell it all or even give some of it away!  Your products will travel through the cars and stereos of your fans and likely will reach new people.  Be a guerrilla marketer!

A great story, shared by Project Aspect, on episode two of the Freio Music Podcast was the fact that he was at a festival, as a fan (not performing), and walked around the campgrounds and gave away his CD to anyone who “liked free music”  (everyone).  The festival attracted people who like his style of music, so he was targeting people who like Music enough to pay to see artists for 72 hours straight. (Standing outside of a Bank and giving away your album is unlikely to have the same effect unless perhaps you only sing about money). Years later he performed at that same festival and people still have and remember him giving away his art (CD) and thank him for it.  He made new and lasting fans form his efforts. Now that is a way to target your audience and sow the seeds for your future success.

#6 Branding

This section should not be overlooked. Your music is your brand.  You are your brand.  Your Facebook page is your brand. Your logo, performance, apparel, attitude, and interactions are all apart of your brand.  Create badass art that represents you and your music.  Be consistent.  Of course, you can change it but only if it is a better representation of your brand. Think of the AC/DC text. The Rolling Stones lips.   If you have a logo use it!  If you don’t have a logo make one or hire/ convince a friend to help you out. Use your logo for your profile pictures across all of your social networks to give some consistency. If you don’t have a logo and are stubborn than at least have a photo of you or your band and use it as a logo. People want to be confident that they are following the right band so don’t make them think hard.  Make your branding consistent across all of your marketing platforms.

#7 Concert Schedule

Your music is intended to be played so, play it! Play it live, with energy and excitement.  Keep it fun for you and everyone and switch it up from show to show. One band that I choose not to name I saw play the exact same setlist twice on the same day at a small festival!  You can bet that I was discouraged by their lack of creativity and adventurousness, and have not seen them perform since that time. I understand practicing your set with the band several times but when it comes time to perform add a new song or two. Add a cover if you don’t have enough original material.  Jam out and make the same song sound different. I can listen to an album on repeat if I want but don’t make people listen to the same thing again and again. If you are touring than maybe your audience will not notice that it was the same setlist but your band members will. Keep everybody guessing and add some flavor to the mix. You will improve faster musically when you are playing new songs, so go grow! A growth mindset will take you from where you are to where you want to be.  How do you think your idols improved?  Do you think they played the same song endlessly?  No, they pushed themselves to learn new songs.  They played the same songs in new ways.  In short, they challenged themselves to play new music, so you should too!

 

Did we miss something?  If so, leave your comments below and mention what else should be included in this MVP blog post.

 

Epic Remix Contest ~ $16,000 of Tools and Skrilla for Winners

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Epic Remix Contest

 Song:  Flying

Prize:  All kinds of tools valued at $16,000

Calling all Aspiring Producers and Electronic Musicians

Love Making Remixes? If so, this is for you!

West Coast Bass Pioneers ill.Gates and Stephan Jacobs have teamed up to host an epic remix contest calling novice music producers to submit their spin on the duo’s massive track ‘Flying’.

“Amateur DJs and producers from all genres and styles are encouraged to flex their remix skills and submit their version of ‘Flying’ “

Do you know someone who could win this contest?  Share it | Crush it | Win it!

All of the details below….

ILL.GATES X STEPHAN JACOBS ANNOUNCE OPEN CALL FOR EPIC ‘FLYING’ REMIX CONTEST

April 17, 2017 – Following the widely-successful release of his full-length studio album Terminally iLL earlier this spring, San Francisco-based producer ill.Gates has partnered with fellow pioneer of the West Coast Bass Movement Stephan Jacobs, and production services website ProducerDJ to invite rising producers to enter the most epic contest of 2017 offering up more than $16,000 in prizes! From now until June 12, 2017, aspiring remix maestros from across the globe can submit their take on ill.Gates’ and Stephan Jacobs’ massive track ‘Flying’ featuring Jackie Rain with winners announced June 23.

Described as a beautifully contrasting dark yet uplifting tune, the original ‘Flying’ blends future bass and glitch hop into a catch, sub-flexing bass-heavy summer anthem offering up an intricate melody for ill.Gates Remix Contest participants to reimagine. Amateur DJs and producers from all genres and styles are encouraged to flex their remix skills and submit their version of ‘Flying’ to SKIO Music where the top three tracks will be selected by ill.Gates alongside special guest judges, and released via brand new label Producer DoJo. Additional prizes include professional audio plugins, hardware controllers, music production tools + courses, and exclusive opportunities to collaborate with ill.Gates and his vast network of musical geniuses, courtesy of sponsors ProducerDJ, Plugin Alliance, SUBPAC, Sesh, Sugar Bytes, Dave Smith Instruments, Ableton, KJ Sawka, Nunich, Mr.Bill, Warp Academy, Tom Cosm, Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI), Maschine Tutorials, iZotope, and LANDR. See grand prize details below!

Looking to learn from the best before entering the contest? DJs and producers of all skill levels can learn the iLL Methodology behind remixing from ill.Gates’ free video course available now via ProducerDJ. The course reveals five simple yet extraordinary ways to unblock your creativity and to help producers finish songs as quickly and effectively as possible. Deemed “life-changing” and “incredible” by users, iLL Methodology is an essential learning tool for mastering beats.

ill.Gates’ first, full-length studio album since 2011, Terminally iLL is part of a series of airport-themed albums by ill.Gates. Set to release later this summer, second in the series is album Departures, which will feature left field, experimental, and out of character tracks inspired by festivals like Shambhala and Burning Man. On the horizon for ill.Gates is a whirlwind year, with marquee performances scheduled at Bassnectar’s Atlantic City Event, California’s Lightning in a Bottle festival plus stops throughout many U.S. cities — check out his upcoming tour schedule below.

To enter the ill.Gates Remix Contest and to listen to the tracks submitted so far, go to the Skio Music website and be sure to follow the contest terms — Good luck!!!

 

Stay Connected: ill Gates
Website | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

 

Remix Contest – Grand Prize
Official Release on Terminally ill Remix Album (Producer DoJo) * Producer DJ – 1 YR Membership ($2,400) * Plugin Alliance 100% AAX DSP V1.5 Bundle ($8,663 MSRP) * Warp Academy’s Pro Producer Bundle ($999) * iZotope Neutron, Ozone 7, Iris 2 and Trash 2 Plugins ($746) * KMI K-Mix ($579) * Subpac M2 ($299) * LANDR – 1 YR Pro Account ($299) * MaschineTutorials.com – 1 YR Membership ($180) * MrBillsTunes.com – 1 YR Membership and T-Shirt ($140) * Producer Social – 1 YR Membership ($100) * Tom Cosm – 1 YR Membership ($99) * ill.Gates Merch Pack & 1 hr call * Call with SKIO Music A&R’s

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

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The Volcanic Pub Theater-February 12th, 2017

Wildly entertaining, eccentric and funk-nasty. The words that come to mind after last nights show at The Volcanic Theater in Bend, Oregon. I knew to expect some funk with an East Coast jam band influence. What I didn’t expect was a roller coaster of spacey interludes, mambo break-beats, and jazz waltz noodling. And yes, of course there was always a sneaky funk breakdown to tie it all together. On point transitions and tight coordination amongst the group allowed for fresh switch ups and genre blending. It’s hard to explain exactly how I would classify their style, but just take my word for it, you don’t want to miss them live. Its beautiful, musical madness at its finest. With a packed house on a Sunday night, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong definitely have a following and were a perfect fit for the wacky Bend crowd, looking to get the most out of their Sunday night.

It’s rare that you come across such an animated front-man as lead singer and guitarist Greg Ormont. Sporting pajama pants and a frizzy Afro, I’m pretty sure he never blinked. His wide array of facial expressions were both engrossing and humorous. My initial hesitation slowly grew into captivation and it became hard to look away. Incredibly skilled guitarist Jeremy Schon really took it to the next level. It was clear that this type of seasoned musicianship demanded a bigger stage. With a calm, natural presence on stage, Ben Carrey laid down filthy, funk bass lines to back the group. Drummer, Alex Petropulos playfully transitioned between different tempos, genres and moods with ease. All together, this group was a tight knit team. Their raw and playful energy on stage really reflected their confidence to push their music to new boundaries.

This group is big news and word is spreading fast. They had so much support that they were able to fund their new studio album “Pizazz” through contributions from their followers. It should be releasing sometime this Fall. Also, make sure and check out their new live album “The Great Outdoors Jam” coming out February 17th!! For those of you out in Colorado, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will be playing at Red Rocks, August 13th with Moe and Twiddle!

Written by Greg Powell

Photography by Molly Buckiewicz

For more info on upcoming tour schedule, music and the band check out the links below!!

Music, buy album
Website
Tour

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7 Clever Ways to Profit From Your Music

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Seven Clever Ways to Profit From Your Music

 

In this blog post you will learn some of the best proven strategies used by some of the most successful musicians around today.  If you have been a professional musician for decades or are just starting out today this article is for you.  These seven clever ways to profit from your music have been tested and proven by some of the best musicians out there.  This article will help you monetize and maximize the impact of your new musical release.

 

7:  Sell Stems

An other strategy that caters to musicians is to enable people to buy the ‘stems’ (individual tracks or instruments) that comprise a song. This strategy will likely only make you money from other fellow musicians. For instance a rudimentary version of this strategy is to sell an instrumental version of your track and remove the vocal stem from the final product. You could also sell just the vocal stems. Perhaps if you are Carlos Santana you could sell the guitar parts only. It is up to you how you slice up your songs and sell the parts. Some musicians refuse to show the listener ‘under the hood’ of the artwork. It is revealing when you tear apart a song into its components. The purpose (from the consumer’s end) is to isolate individual sounds to create a better remix or sample of the song. If you want to encourage others to remix or sample your song, you should consider releasing the stems to one or all of your songs.

 

 

6: Sell High Quality Files for More Money

One clever strategy is to enable the purchase of your music in multiple file types. MP3s, the most common musical file type, is compressed. Compressed files are great to conserve space and to pack as many songs as possible on an iPod or your phone. Compressed files are not high quality. Some careful listeners (a.k.a. Audiophiles) will be able to notice the difference between a compressed file and an uncompressed file if the song is played on high quality speakers or headphones. If you want to make more money from your music, sell different file types at different price points. One great platform that enables you to sell different audio files is Bandcamp.

 

 

5:  Sell a Package Deal

Give your customers incentive to buy all of your albums or an album rather than a song.  Some clever musicians prevent the purchase of particular single songs on iTunes and encourage people to buy the album to gain access to that particular song. You can also sell a package that includes your music as well as apparel or memorabilia.  You can give a relative discount, compared to buying each item separately,  to your fans for buying the package.

 

 

4: Touring Up-sales

As you tour, you can and should maximize your reach by selling products at the show. You can sell apparel such as hats or shirts. You can sell memorabilia such as posters or stickers. You can sell your music by offering physical sales of your album. The key to this strategy is hiring someone to manage and run your merchandise table while you are focused on preforming. You need to make sure that your sales will continue while you are on and off stage. Collect emails and make sure to reach out to your fans!

 

 

3: Raise Money From A Crowdsourcing Platform

This technique is especially useful for young musicians or musicians who are tight on cash. Are you ready to get into the recording studio but the price tag is intimidating you from pulling the trigger? As your fans for support in exchange for an exclusive offer or bonus. Your fans can help you raise the money needed to get into the recording studio and create that album you have always dreamed of. Crowd funding reduces the risk of launching your album to the sound of crickets and a negative bank account. Every musician should understand that there is a huge investment of time and money to create, record, and promote their music. With some support from your fans, you will know that people want to hear what you are working on.  Not only will you be assured that people are interested in your upcoming release, after your first sale, you are in the green and making profit.  You no longer have to worry about ‘breaking even’. Your expensive recording costs will disappear.  Your ‘studio time’ will be already covered and you now have a solid base of fans to help you promote your work when the launch date arrives. There are many crowd funding platforms that are popping up but two of the most popular platforms are: Kickstarter, and Indiegogo.  For a great resource to compare the two platforms: click here

  

 

2: Pre-sell Your Album

If you have an established fanbase, one of the more lucrative strategies is to presell your upcoming album. Pre-sales create excitement, anticipation, and money for you, the artist. When the album is finally released you can be sure that all of your pre-order customers will be thrilled to finally get their ears on your music. Your pre-order customers will help generate a boost to the awareness of your music. Your music depends on word of mouth and people becoming aware of your music. By pre-selling your album, your album will launch from a solid base of passionate fans who will help you every step of the way. Imagine launching your album knowing that you already have 1,000 people who have already bought your album at $10. That is right, you just earned $10,000 prior to the first day, and you now have 1,000 excited fans sharing your album all over social media! Compare that to launching with no guarantee that your album will sell to anyone. Of course if you do your homework by creating incredible music, touring to create enthusiastic fans, and promoting your music on all of your platforms you will likely not launch to the sound of crickets. What is there to loose? Nothing. By Pre-selling your album, you will only extend the time you are able to sell your music. You can even use some of that revenue prior to launch to hire the best mixing and mastering engineers to give your album even more value.

 

 

1: Sell Your Free Music

How can you sell you free music? Great question and the answer is not necessarily obvious. You can sell your music in exchange for an email address (example: enter your email to download). An other strategy is to take the middle path. You can also leverage multiple platforms and cater to those customers. For example: Pretty Lights a Colorado native has demonstrated this strategy with extraordinary prowess. Pretty Lights enables free downloads from his website while simultaneously selling the same music in iTunes. Derik Vincent Smith, the mastermind behind Pretty Lights, has said that he earns $100,000 from iTunes per month! (Source: Fast Company)

 

 

Thats it! You have now know the 7 Clever Ways to Profit From Your Music.

 

Still Want More?

Join the conversation by commenting. What is your favorite strategy?

Here are your bonuses!

Learn how to market and launch your music with our free e-mail course: ‘5 Steps to Better Market Your Music‘

Learn how to create a spectacular performance and convert fans into customers:  ‘Marketing for Musicians 101‘

Beats Antique – Live Album

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  Beats Antique’s new live album: “Creature Carnival Live – Denver CO and Asheville NC”

Its official! Beats Antique is releasing a live album September 22nd 2015

Beats Antique is finally releasing a live album that will surely please fans and create new ones!  As everyone who has seen Beats Antique knows, they throw down high energy musical gypsy gems. Now they are sharing their performances with you, on September 22nd, so you can enjoy their life’s work from your couch, bus, or on the go.  My highest regards are rarely given but these musical geniuses, who have also cracked the code to creating an amazing performance, deserve it.  Beats Antique’s “Creature Carnival Live – Denver CO and Asheville NC”  is a collaborative album. Creature Carnival Live brings together musicians, instruments and energies with the spontaneity of live recording, separating this album from all of their other works.  Take a listen to a three track preview below. For those of you who find this article after Sep 22nd, you will be able to listen to the entire album below.  Enjoy!

The album drops September 22nd, 2015. Take a listen to three sneak peak tracks they have released for free streaming courtesy of BandCamp.

 

Musical Credits:
Album Release Date:  22 September 2015

David Satori – Electric Saz, Banjo, Guitar, Viola, Drums, Trumpet and Electronics

Sidecar Tommy – Drums, Electronic Drums, Toy Piano

Zoe Jakes – Drums

Sylvain Carton – Baritone Sax and Clarinet

Special Guests

Lafa Taylor – Vox

Empire Strikes Brass on Horns for tracks 10 – 13

*Recorded at 1st Bank Center – Denver Colorado and Asheville Civic Center North Carolina (fall 2014)

Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Brian Bash of Sonidos Studios

You can buy the album here

 

Are you Jones’n for some free Beats Antique music? We got you!

Front Country – Concert & Album Review

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It was the night of May 5th at Swallow Hill Music Hall in Denver, Colorado. The rain turned to sleet and the sleet turned to heavy snow. The arrival of the Californian Bluegrass band was greeted by nasty weather and a packed house filled with music lovers of all ages. The night began with Rail Splitters from Boulder, Colorado warming up the theater with their quick pick’n and melodic music.  By the time Front Country took the stage the audience was ready for steady rhythmic bluesy bluegrass.  Front Country is one of those bands who cannot be easily fit into a box or genre. They expand upon all of their individual strengths to blend, mold, and shape the sound until it’s profound.

Front Country’s songs are inspired by a range of topics including but not limited to the snowy state itself, Colorado, and an old time song about a gold mine prostitute. When Melody picks up the Kashishi she woos the crowd with her shakin’ while both Adam and Jacob trade instruments between songs to bring a new sound.

Front country’s album, Sake of the Sound, was created by a sextet (six members). Three of the six band members on the Album have jobs outside of the music industry. The momentum the band is riding keeps gaining speed, propelling that ‘Gospel Train’ around the country.  With diverse musical backgrounds, they feed off each other musically to break through traditional boundaries. They have earned University degrees studying, jazz guitar, vocals, classical guitar, and jazz bass. They have worked hard to get to where they are today and it is clearly paying off.

Sake of the Sound

Album Credits: Released 16 September 2014. Mandolin by Adam Roszkiewicz, Guitar and Vocals by Jacob Groopman, Guitar and Vocals by Melody Walker, Banjo and Vocals by Jordan Klein, Violin by Leif Karlstrom, Stand-up Bass by Zach Sharpe. Produced by Kai Welch. Engineered by Scott Bergstrom. Engineered by Scott Bergstrom at 25th Street Recording – Oakland, CA. Mixed by Erick Jaskowiak at J Studio – Nashville, TN. Mastered by Eric Conn at Independent Mastering – Nashville, TN. All songs arranged by Front Country. Photography by Robert Perry. Album Art by Danielle Diessner

They dedicated 10 consecutive (16+ hour) days to the recording of their debut album, Sake of the Sound. While many bands struggle to find a collective sound due to their individualistic desires, Front Country is a band of stars, shining together.  Their collaborative spirit is revealed as they dynamically alter their music for maximum impact.

If you enjoy acoustical harmonies with some fast pick’n solos, this band is not one to miss. If you missed the show, the good news is that Front Country will be back in Colorado and touring the country once again in a few weeks. With stops at festivals, such as Campout for the Cause and Meadow Grass, this band is only getting started. They won a place on the main stage at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and they are on their way to a city near you.

To check the latest Front Country tour info: click here

To listen to the FreioMusic interview with Front Country:  click here

Front Country – Interview

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In this exclusive artist interview, FreioMusic sat down with three members of the up and coming Bay Area band, Front Country.  Front Country’s Adam Roszkiewicz, Jacob Groopman, and Melody Walker generously shared their time and stories prior to their first ever performance in Denver, Colorado at Swallow Hill Music Hall.

To Listen, Click on the Track Below:

Front Country – Exclusive FreioMusic Interview 5/9/2015

Click to read more about the band

Click to listen to Front Country’s new album, Sake of the Sound

Sonic Bloom 2014

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 The Unified Field

 

The 9th annual Sonic Bloom music festival took place over the weekend of July 19-22nd in the airy high desert of South Park, Colorado. The site, fully encompassed by the Rocky Mountains, created a beautiful backdrop of breathtaking sunrises and sunsets that lit up the numerous stages.

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As usual, Bloom offered a plethora of experiences for every attendee. Music was continuously playing at various stages with the highest quality of sound. Workshops covering hooping, massage, dance, yoga, and many others were available and well attended. Outstanding visuals met the eye everywhere you looked, ready to be soaked in and admired, whether it be a performance, installation, or projection.

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 The weekend had much to offer, but you would have to have been a super human to experience it all!

Here are some highlights from throughout the weekend.

1. TWO nights of Tipper!! (not enough)
2. The Three Stages
–The Bloom Stage with the Funktion-One sound system and the massive LED screen backdrop.
–The Hummingbird Stage with the spinning woodcut mandala and unique handcrafted details.
–The CO Dome with its intimate feel and psychedelic projections by Illuminated Dimensions.
3.Surprise sunrise set by Kalya Scintilla and Kaminanda with an epic pink sunrise.
4. OPIOU.
5. Whitebear making everything so dark and weird at only 7PM, when the sun was still shining.
6. Kaminanda playing guitar live for the first and only time in Colorado, then busting out a cover of Grateful Dead-Shakedown Street.
7. The captivating “flower-dance-presentations” by Anthony Ward all weekend.
8. The Gong Experience that vibrates into your soul.
9. Quixotic’s unbelievably talented performers.
10. Looking around and realizing you love everyone and everything you are surrounded by!

SnowBallin’ 2014

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Interested in hearing about what is becoming one of the freshest and most unique festivals in the music industry taking place in the spring snow out in beautiful Colorado?

SnowBall, taking place April 4th-6th in Denver, CO, is definitely a music festival that is truly something different. The festival is being held at an exciting new venue this year, Sports Authority Field in Mile High Stadium. The new venue will provide a wide open space for attendees to interact, explore, dance, and of course, get weird. The SnowBall Stage, which is the main stage, will be outdoors and may provide the opportunity for attendees to put their dance moves on display on a snow covered dance floor. So if you plan on attending, please be safe and be prepared for the cold. The SnowBall Stage will also have a Big Air area beside it where extreme athletes will be performing tricks to tantalize your eyes while your ears are being entertained by bumping beats. Some of the most well known artists will grace the SnowBall stage with their presence. On Friday, be sure to catch the melodies of Jimkata, the funky beats of The Floozies, and then let Knife Party shake you with some heavy bass to close out the first night. On Saturday, the highlights include local 3-piece electronic hydro-funk sensations SunSquabi, funky fresh four piece livetronic group STRFKR, and the one and only Derek Vincent Smith, better known as Pretty Lights, playing his soulful tunes right where his original roots began. Then on Sunday, Chali2Na from Jurassic 5 brings some fresh hip-hop to the stage along with House of Vibe, Busta Rhymes brings an original rap set that you could only get from Busta himself, all before Griz closes out the festival with a funk filled set of jazzy electronic beats that will have you grooving with all of the energy that’s left in the tank.

The other three stages are all in heated tents around the stadium and will each provide their own distinct atmospheres once you are inside. The Groove Tent will feature a variety of music throughout the weekend with the highlights being the grimy electronic beats of Mimosa, the all original tunes of Wave Racer, some funky fresh trap from Lunice, a high energy electro house combined with drumstep set from Kill The Noise, and PLM Party, the not to miss set of the weekend featuring Pretty Lights, Michal Menert, Paul Basic, Supervision, Eliot Lipp, and many more artists from the Pretty Lights Music record label. I personally cannot wait to see what all of these amazing producers co-create up on stage together; the possibilities are endless.

The Ballroom Stage will feature artists who make their craft through either their skills on an instrument or through the sounds of their voice. This stage will provide very different sounds than the others so be sure to make it over there if you are into artists who have their own specific individual sound. Eminence Ensemble will trance you into their one of a kind flow as they rift it on their instruments. Afroman will bring you back in time with his old school style and with jams like “Palmdale”, “When I Got High”, and other 90’s classics. Or be entertained with original electronic acts like Flash/Lights, Trippy Turtle, Twin Shadow, Chrome Sparks, or Rufus Du Sol. No matter who you catch at the Ballroom Stage, you will be sure to be entertained.

The Heat Hut will be where you want to go if you are looking to get down and dirty to some electro house and deep house. This tent will be bumping the beats that will keep your feet moving all weekend long. The highlighting artists whom are playing at the Heat Hut are: Bixel Boys, Option4 and JustinJay on Friday; Graff, J.Phlip, and MK on Saturday; and then Need & Necessity, Maxxi Soundsytem, and Andhim to close out the stage on Sunday. So be sure to groove in the Heat Hut if you’re wanting some non-stop electro house beats.

SnowBall will also feature live ice sculptures by trained artists, free water refill stations, a Vendor Village filled with tons of goodies from artisans, a Merchandise Booth to pick up SnowBall gear, food options from local restaurants to food trucks, drink options from sodas and juices to beers and cocktails, and also late night after parties to keep you going and entertained throughout the weekend. Check out the full lineup breakdown and daily schedules. Get your SnowBall tickets now because prices will go up! Advance 3-day GA and VIP tickets are still available for SnowBall here ; advance single day SnowBall tickets here.

Tantalize your ears with a taste of the music to come this year at SnowBall…

FreioMusic SnowBall 2014 Soundcloud Mix

Article and soundcloud mix created by:
David ‘Dino’ Durkin