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    The Women’s International Music Network Announces Performers for 2015 She Rocks Showcase at the WGBH Food & Wine Festival in Boston

The Women’s International Music Network Announces Performers for 2015 She Rocks Showcase at the WGBH Food & Wine Festival in Boston

The Women’s International Music Network (WiMN) is pleased to announce the finalists selected to perform at the 2015 She Rocks Showcase at the WGBH Food & Wine Festival in Boston, taking place Saturday, September 19, 2015, from 1:00-4:00 p.m., at the WGBH headquarters.

Featured performers include Connecticut-based recording artist Laura Clapp; five-piece folk/rock band from Boston Post Modern Authors; and Boston-based singer-songwriter Kate Diaz. The performers were chosen based on their submissions to theWiMN.com.

“We’re so excited to bring talented women in music to the WGBH Food & Wine Festival. Combined with live music, artisan food and wine, and the support of the WGBH, this will be a great event for everyone attending and performing,” said WiMN Founder, Laura B. Whitmore.

Growing up in Connecticut, Laura Clapp began her piano studies at age 6 and composed her first song when she was 11. Clapp graduated from Berklee College of Music, where she learned guitar and recorded her first CD Where Are You Going? After writing and recording her second CD Simply, she toured America, funded entirely by CD sales and the support of her fans and friends.
As a demonstrator for pro audio company TC-Helicon, Clapp has been featured on several YouTube videos, some with over 450,000 views to date. For more info, visit http://www.lauraclapp.com.

Post Modern Authors, a five-piece band from Boston, create a unique sound, blending folk and rock that rings on the edge of a dark, quiet, and explosive landscape. The band is comprised of Michelle Amirault on bass, Dominic Dellaquila on electric guitar, Emily Seeberg on drums, and Meghan Seeberg and  Andrew Sullivan on vocals and rhythm. Learn more at www.postmodernauthors.com.

Originally from Chicago, Singer-songwriter Kate Diaz moved to Boston for college, where she performs with […]

By |August 4th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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    BackStory Events Live Interview Series to Host Guitar Icon Joe Satriani

BackStory Events Live Interview Series to Host Guitar Icon Joe Satriani

BackStory Events, a new series of curated live, feature-length interviews with iconic artists and musicians, announces guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani as an upcoming guest. The event will focus on Satriani’s new album Shockwave Supernova, and much more, and will take place Friday, July 24, 2015 (the album launch date) at the AOL Studios in New York City. 

Hosted by legendary music journalist Brad Tolinski, the event will allow guests to enjoy a seat at an exclusive, career-spanning live interview, a meet-and-greet with Satriani, an autographed copy of Shockwave Supernova, plus complimentary beverages. Satriani will be interviewed one-on-one by Tolinski as they discuss the new album and much more. Tickets are available at www.backstoryevents.com. 

The album sees Satriani once again joining forces with co-producer and engineer John Cuniberti. Satch and Cuniberti share production on Shockwave Supernova, as they have on numerous albums, including 1986’s Not of This Earth and its legendary followup, Surfing with the Alien. Satriani assembled a trio of world-class musicians for the project—keyboardist and guitarist Mike Keneally, drummer Marco Minnemann and bassist Bryan Beller. More info and pre-orders at www.satriani.com.

BackStory Events kicked off in mid-June with guitar and production mastermind Nile Rodgers, who discussed his two-day, all-star event, FreakOut! Let’s Dance Festival. Upcoming guests include world-renowned producer Timbaland as he launches his new autobiography, The Greatest; among others to be announced soon. 

The live interview series is produced by Tolinski and partners. Best known as the editor-in-chief of Guitar World Magazine for 25 years, Tolinski is a respected journalist and the author of Light and Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page. Throughout his career, Tolinski has skillfully interviewed hundreds of musicians and plays guitar, violin and mandolin himself.

More BackStory events will be announced soon. […]

By |June 18th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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New Music-Making App Rututu Launches Kickstarter Campaign

EarthMoments today announced the launch of a new Kickstarter campaign to fund its unique Rututu app. Slated for release later this year, the Rututu app offers an easy-to-use, touch-based interface that combines authentic, pristine samples of indigenous ethnic, world and Western instruments, along with several bundles spanning different genres like rock, pop, hip hop, dubstep and more. Its unique, custom-designed control surface and non-linear music composition tools make it extraordinarily easy for both musicians and non-musicians to create original music.

Based around a series of recording sessions with musicians from all over the world, the library in the Rututu app will bring a variety of hard-to-obtain sounds to the fingertips of all types of musicians, which combined with the touch-based control surface will make the Rututu app an intuitive and easy-to-use tool for beginners and skilled musicians alike. Users will be able to easily incorporate the Rututu app sounds into both traditional and modern music using the loop-based composition and beat-making features in the Rututu app. Listen to demo tracks made using sounds from the Rututu app here.

“The Rututu app offers several things not available in the market today, starting with the ease of producing top-notch, professional-sounding music through its unique interface. Additionally, most producers and musicians don’t have access to the kind of instruments made available through Rututu, because they are not available outside of the sacred communities the EarthMoment team visited. It took extensive research to develop an intuitive platform and to locate the best musicians and instruments –– and with Rututu, users will be able to easily add these unique flavours to their songs,” said Rututu Project Manager Yoav Rosenthal.

The Rututu sounds and loops in the app will be able to be […]

By |June 17th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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    Mad Sun at 2015 Summer NAMM: Panels, Concerts, and Much More!

Mad Sun at 2015 Summer NAMM: Panels, Concerts, and Much More!

The Mad Sun Marketing team is making its yearly trek to the Summer NAMM Show in Nashville, Tennessee, from July 9-11, 2015, and between panels and concerts, it’s looking to be an action-packed three-day weekend. Below, our schedule of events:

Thursday, July 9, 8:30 – 11:00 p.m.: The Women’s International Music Network, founded by Laura B. Whitmore, hosts the 2015 She Rocks Summer NAMM Showcase at The Listening Room Cafe.
Friday, July 10, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Laura B. Whitmore moderates Leading Women in Audio Sound Off panel at the TEC Tracks, Booth 354
Saturday, July 11, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Laura B. Whitmore hosts One-on-One: An Interview with Hit Songwriter (name TBA) at the Idea Center, Booth 654
Saturday, July 11, 1:30 – 2:00 p.m.: Laura B. Whitmore and Pauline France hold 12 PR Tips for Musicians, Music Businesses and Everyone Else panel at the Idea Center, Booth 654
Saturday, July 11, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Laura B. Whitmore and Tom Gilbert hold Social Media Insider Tips panel at the Idea Center, Booth 654
Saturday, July 11, times TBA: Laura B. Whitmore introduces bands at the Acoustic Nation stage, sponsored by Guitar World magazine.

If you’re attending Summer NAMM, stop by one of our events (or all of them!) and say hi.

By |June 16th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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    The Women’s International Music Network Announces 2015 She Rocks Summer NAMM Showcase Performers

The Women’s International Music Network Announces 2015 She Rocks Summer NAMM Showcase Performers

The Women’s International Music Network (WiMN) is pleased to announce the finalists selected to perform at the 2015 She Rocks Summer NAMM Showcase, taking place Thursday, July 9, 2015, from 8:30-10:30 p.m., at The Listening Room Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee, during the 2015 Summer NAMM trade show.

Featured performers include singer-songwriter and guitarist sister duo Grace and Chelsea Constable from Jonesborough, Tennessee; Chicago-based singer-songwriter Pearl; San Francisco-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Katie Garibaldi; Nashville-based singer-songwriter and actress Bryce Hitchcock; and singer-songwriter Taylor Tote from New Jersey. The performers were chosen based on their submissions to thewimn.com.

“The selection process for the 2015 She Rocks Summer NAMM Showcase was difficult but extremely inspiring, as we received a lot of submissions from tremendously talented women from all over the country. We are very excited to showcase talented women spanning multiple genres,” said WiMN Founder Laura B. Whitmore.

Grace and Chelsea Constable started playing guitar when they were 9 and 10, respectively, and are a powerfully dynamic sister duo. At 13, Grace has just completed writing, arranging, and producing her debut CD. With her Taylor 812ce in hand, Grace has set goals to make a living as a singer/songwriter/guitarist, and is truly honored to have an association with her favorite guitar manufacturer, Taylor Guitars. Chelsea was considered a prodigy at 11 years old, filming an instructional video and demoing products for several different companies. She’s been featured and advertised in many major guitar publications, and at 13, closed the show at Muriel Anderson’s All-Star Guitar Night featuring Les Paul and Steve Morse. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/chelseaconstablemuzak.

Pearl is a Chicago-based singer-songwriter whose voice is reminiscent of Corrine Bailey Rae’s richness and style. In early 2013, she shined as one half of […]

By |June 15th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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    SongTown and Nashville Unplugged Launch Sunset Songwriting Festival

SongTown and Nashville Unplugged Launch Sunset Songwriting Festival

Songwriting community SongTown and hit show Nashville Unplugged have partnered to launch the first-ever Sunset Songwriting Festival, a three-day music immersion event taking place Oct. 9 – 11, 2015, at the Sunset Station Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The brainchild of hit songwriters Clay Mills, Marty Dodson and Aaron Benward, the Sunset Songwriting Festival will offer exciting performances by top music industry professionals from Nashville, music supervisors from Los Angeles, hit songwriters, professional development workshops, unique networking opportunities, and more. Workshop topics include:

Song placements in film and television, presented by acclaimed music supervisors from Los Angeles
How to maximize social media to build your career
Writing songs that move audiences from indie stages to hit radio
VIP pitch session to pitch songs to top publishers/music supervisor professionals
Networking event with hit writers and publishers

“We’ve designed this festival from the ground up to be a great experience for fans, artists, and songwriters, including hit writer/artists and up-and-comers. It is a great platform to make industry connections, learn about the songwriting business, and most of all, have a fun time,” said Mills, GRAMMY Award-nominated hit songwriter and co-founder of the Sunset Songwriting Festival.

The Sunset Songwriting Festival is open to the public, and will offer four ticket packages to choose from. Space is limited. A complete line-up of hit performers will be announced soon.

Submissions to perform at the Sunset Songwriting Festival are being accepted through August 25, 2015. Performers will have the opportunity to play in front of songwriting influencers, prominent producers and publishers, and other top industry professionals.

To register for workshops, fill out the submission form, and see official rules and regulations, visit sunsetsongwritingfestival.com.

By |June 10th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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    Jennifer Batten Announces Summer 2015 Creative Seminar Tour Dates

Jennifer Batten Announces Summer 2015 Creative Seminar Tour Dates

Guitarist Jennifer Batten (Jeff Beck, Michael Jackson) announces a series of U.S. dates for seminars this summer, which will teach musicians how to stay mentally centered and how to maintain creativity in a technology-driven world.

Keeping the constantly evolving nature of the music business in mind, Batten, along with co-host Jesse Solomon (founder of music school Academy of Guitar), will help harness audience members’ inner focus. Batten will provide insights from her 30-year career, including do’s and don’ts, lessons learned, and will give special attention to energizing the mind and body to their utmost potential. Each event concludes with giveaways and a mini concert by Batten and Solomon.

“Musicians are unaware of some of the newest powerful tools available to them to help skyrocket their progress as creative beings. I’m excited and eager to help attendees focus and energize, and to share knowledge on practices that have worked extremely well for me,” said Batten.

This three-and-a-half-hour-long creative seminar was cultivated to enlighten the modern musician through Batten’s real-world stories, and will offer multimedia demos on the tools and information available to help support a creative life; how to create and boost their brand; and how to make the law of attraction work for them. Audience members will be educated on the latest science of how the brain works to help magnetize the elements of their dreams.

In this seminar, Batten will teach attendees: 

How their brain works and ways to optimally energize the mind and body
New tools to help unlock creativity and optimize practice habits
Practical information about domestic and foreign touring
How to enhance their abilities to focus and learn time management skills with proventechniques
Supportive techniques in building self-confidence and creating unstoppable motivation
How to dig into the newest models of building a personal brand […]

By |May 28th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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    MusicFirst and The Singing Classroom Partner to Offer Exciting Online Resources for Elementary School Music Teachers

MusicFirst and The Singing Classroom Partner to Offer Exciting Online Resources for Elementary School Music Teachers

Leading digital music education company MusicFirst is proud to announce its partnership with online music education database, The Singing Classroom. Through this collaboration, teachers are now able to access The Singing Classroom’s ever-expanding, dynamic, searchable database of songs, games and teaching techniques through the MusicFirst online classroom.

“We’re thrilled to offer The Singing Classroom both as a standalone solution, and as premium content through our online classroom. Once teachers discover how intuitive it is, the wealth of comprehensive materials it has to offer, and how exciting it is for both them and their students, it will become one of their favorite go-to tools,” said Dr. Jim Frankel, Director of MusicFirst. 

“MusicFirst is a brilliant tool for music teachers, allowing them access not only to an abundance of music software, but also to great ideas for the classroom that they can search and organize. We’re so happy that The Singing Classroom will be able to expand these offerings for elementary teachers even further,” said Gregg Pasternack, Co-Founder, The Singing Classroom.

Developed for elementary school music teachers (PreK – 6), The Singing Classroom allows educators to search the collection using a wide variety of criteria to find songs and games complete with scores, video, audio, printable posters and animations. Teachers can:

Search by grade level, genre, song topic, type of game, cultural origin, materials used, holidays, musical concepts, solfége and rhythms, or Orff instruments.
Download and print sheet music, posters, and other materials to use as they teach.
Watch videos that suggest how to introduce and teach the songs to help quickly engage and delight their students, as well as animations of bunnies demonstrating games and dances.
Show the animations to their students and see how quickly they learn to play a new game or do a dance.
Listen to each song being sung […]

By |May 19th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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    Take Me To The River, Music Unites and Compton Unified School District Host Event Empowering Inner-City Students Through Music

Take Me To The River, Music Unites and Compton Unified School District Host Event Empowering Inner-City Students Through Music

Award-winning feature film Take Me To The River, non-profit organization Music Unites, acclaimed artists Frayser Boy and William Bell, and the Compton Unified School District partnered to host a music-filled event to teach and inspire inner-city students through the power of music on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at Martin Luther King Elementary and the Compton High School Auditorium in Compton, California.

Revolving around director Martin Shore’s latest film, Take Me To The River, which celebrates the musical influence of Memphis in the face of pervasive discrimination and segregation, the event kicked off at the Martin Luther King Elementary school, where sixth-grade students participated in a songwriting workshop led by Shore, Music Unites’ Kirk Sells, STAX Records legend William Bell, and Academy Award winner Frayser Boy. Students embarked on an exciting “rap battle” and presented their creations to their classmates, teachers and music mentors. The songwriting session also included a Q&A on the guests’ experiences in the music industry.

The event continued at the Compton High School Auditorium with special performances by 21 Martin Luther King Elementary school sixth-grade students, who performed “BaBa Blues,” “Bossa Nova” and “Cage Full O’Blues.” Thanks to the support of the district’s superintendent and board of trustees, the evening also featured a special screening of Take Me To The River for students, parents and teachers, and a Q&A session with Shore, Bell and Frayser Boy.

“Take Me to the River is a must-see experience that transcends and bridges generation gaps. As an educator, I was deeply moved by the juxtaposition of the struggle of STAX recording studio and the struggle experienced by those embroiled in the Civil Rights Movement. I was further stricken by the influence of the musicians/artists from the Memphis area […]

By |May 13th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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Nominations Now Open for 2016 She Rocks Awards

The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN) has announced open nominations for its annual She Rocks Award ceremony honoring women in music, taking place Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, in Anaheim, Calif., during the Winter NAMM trade show.

Approaching its fourth year, the She Rocks Awards have honored dozens of music professionals, including multi-platinum artist Colbie Caillat; Vice President of Brand Marketing at Martin Guitar, Amani Duncan; Latin GRAMMY award-winning artist, Gaby Moreno; legendary band The Bangles; President of Peavey Electronics, Mary Peavey; iconic percussionist Sheila E.; Experience Hendrix CEO, Janie Hendrix; Executive Vice President and CFO of the Gretsch Company, Dinah Gretsch; and many more.

“We are thrilled to open nominations for the 2016 She Rocks Awards, and look forward to shining a spotlight on outstanding women in music. There is an abundance of talent within our industry, and we are excited to give recognition to the power players making a difference,” said WiMN Founder Laura B. Whitmore.

Individuals are encouraged to nominate female trailblazing music industry peers, friends, colleagues, or themselves. The deadline to submit nominations is September 1, 2015.

Named one of Billboard magazine’s “7 must-see events at NAMM,” the She Rocks Awards bring together industry professionals, music icons, artists, fans and media for a one-of-a-kind event that celebrates women in music, and offers featured performances, giveaways, a silent auction, networking opportunities and more.

To submit a nomination and to learn more, visit http://www.thewimn.com/nominations/.

By |May 7th, 2015|News posts|0 Comments
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