Thursday, April 25, 2013

South Streets 1st Annual Spring Festival on MAy 4th - Music Edition


On Saturday, May 4th from 12:00pm – 8:00pm, the South Street Headhouse District will hold its new signature street event, the South Street Headhouse Spring Festival. The Spring Festival will be a free, all-ages celebration of the beginning of the festival season with the best tastes, sounds, and sights that the District has to offer.
 Philly's Hippest Street just got way cooler.
That's right South St. have made strides to make it the best place to go in the city. We at Legendary Dobbs/DVT Entertaintment and Mikey Jr./Twisted Tail were so honored to be asked to coordinate the music for this event. In addition to the music schedule above we will have Street Perfromers located through the closed off street from 2nd to 8th sts. on South from 11am till 8pm.
We put together one immense lineup of amazing artists for everyone listen pleasure and it's FREE!!!
We thought it would be a great idea to give you sample of several artists performing Saturday May 4th. SO ENJOY!!! COME OUT AND BRING THE FAMILY!!!
Here is a link to all the events and vendors that will be involved

SOUTH STREET is BACK!!!! Here is a few samples of the sounds for the Event!!
Sweet Leda - 5th St. Stage at 2pm and again at Dobbs at 8:30pm

Based out of MD, Powered by Julie Cymek’s sultry, commanding vocals and electrifying stage presence, “think Adele mixed with Mary J. Blige, with a certain South Of The Mason-Dixon Line ache that’s all her own”

The Great SOCIO
- 5th St. Stage at 7pm
 
The Great SOCIO is about recreating the feel of Classic Rock meshed with catchy hooks for the A.D.D generation. They are best described as a combination of Late 60's Jazz Fusion with 70's Acid Rock and Modern Alternative Rock

Bubonik Funk - Legendary Dobbs Stage at 4pm
Bubonik Funk is an American Rock band, from Charlotte, North Carolina With their funky, guitar-driven soulful sound.  The band's individualistic style draws from many artists, from Parliament to Radiohead and Led Zeppelin to Earth Wind and Fire.
 
Memphis Crawl - Legendary Dobbs Stage at 9pm
Memphis Crawl was founded in July 2004 by lead vocalist and songwriter Matty O'Brien. Since their inception, they have been regarded as one of the best live acts around and have knocked audiences dead from NY to LA!!


John & Brittany - 5th St  Stage at 3pm
In the less than two years since dropping their debut EP in the summer of 2011, John & Brittany (John Faye and Brittany Rotondo), Philadelphia's most unique songwriting duo, have risen from the city's thriving open mic circuit to become a serious rock act to contend with, already having shared stages with the likes of The Smithereens, Everclear, Gin Blossoms, and Matthew Sweet, in addition to headlining their own shows at venues like World Cafe Live and TLA.

Rowboat Casino - Legendary Dobbs Stage at 6pm

Only a year in the making, ROWBOAT CASINO, has already built a solid buzz throughout the music community of Philadelphia. The live hip-hop band ended 2012 by opening up for world renowned Black Thought (The Roots)/J.Period and famed underground rapper Reef the Lost Cauze at The Blockley. The New Year found them building on that momentum and providing direct support for hip hop legend Raekwon of the Wu-tang Clan to a capacity crowd. With a slew of music festivals throughout the tri-state area slated for the Spring, Summer, and Fall, ROWBOAT CASINO will be performing one last intimate venue show at their historic home base...



Monday, April 15, 2013

This Friday Night at Legendary Dobbs Guitat Virtuso Xander Demos!



Xander Demos is a high-energy rock and metal guitar player from Pittsburgh, PA. He is fueled by the passion to create melodic songs ranging from rock and metal genres to pop and ambient. Xander normally is associated with the rock and metal world but his versatility allows him to be comfortable in many forms of music.
               
Xander grew up in the decade of decadance and has been a big fan of everything from pop-metal, Top-40, thrash metal, progressive rock and even dance-related music. As long as there was a hook or a melody, he picked up on it. Xander's main influences are Shawn Lane, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Vinnie Moore, Guthrie Govan, Jason Becker, Neal Schon, Micheal Romeo and John Sykes. In the early days, he was fortunate to have some teachers whom he respected and had given him great tools by which to hone his fluid technique. Some of these players include Ralph Santolla (ex-Deicide, Obituary), Dallas Perkins (M.I. Instructor) and currently Derryl Gabel.

               
Xander's playing style ranges from the beautifully melodic to the jaw-dropping insane. His playing encompasses much of what he has learned and absorbed from other players over the years. His melodies are the kind you can hum along to. He is releasing the full-length follow-up to his EP "Road To Guitarcadia", an instructional DVD, working with his three bands playing live every weekend and is now accepting guitar students for in-person and online lessons.
2011 had been a good year and Xander is currently building on that momentum for 2012. Make sure you check the news page as well as his Facebook page which gives constant news about his musical activities



The Xander Demos Band (XDB) has been active since early 2011 and contains four virtuosos backing up Xander and all of his guitar pyrotechnics. They have had a great 2 years playing shows with Neil Zaza, UFO, The Dio Deciples, Uli Jon Roth, Buckethead, Lizzy Borden, Adrenaline Mob, Symphony X, Helstar and Kip Winger. The very talented Matt Williams (bass) and Chris Batton (drums) did an outstanding job on the recording of Guitarcadia as well as playing live until the reformation of the band in 2012. The latest version of XDB features Jeff Anzelone on drums, Adam Heuesy on keyboards, Ben Chiarini on bass and Mario Brescia on Lead Vocals. In 2013, the band is out supporting the Guitarcadia since signing with Rock N Growl records in Germany late last summer. The new album titled Dancing Through Daggers will be released towards the end of 2013. CJ Snare of Firehouse is back on board to mix and master the new album as he did with Guitarcadia

www.xanderdemos.com

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Band 101: What the f*** are we doing wrong as an artist/band!!

Welcome to Band 101, this topic should grab some people attention..

What the f*** are we doing wrong as an artist/band!!
We are giging, writing great music, but don't see anything progressing as far as fans, exposure, opportunities and more...
by: Jim Thorpe Legendary Dobbs/DVT Entertainment/DBMC/LMF

1 out 3 bands approach us DVT Entertaintment about helping their band or manage them. We try our best to do what we can but it seems that so many artists still think of the good old label days. My recommendation is to forget everything you know or think you know about the music industry because its a new day.

They say it's the time of the independent artist because of the changing music industry, it's true in theory. The problem is the majority of artists today need to be Manager, Promoter, Social Medi Guru, Videographer, Public Relations, Marketer, Savy in Networking, Booking Agent, Merchant, Accountant, Publisher/Licenser and then get to be a Songwriter, Music Maker and Live Performer. Thats a lot of jobs for an artist or band but in todays world it has to get done.

They key word that I have used in all the Band 101 topics is Networking. The main goal for the serious artist is to build a team and not just trying to get that "hot name person" to help but to find and build a team that has the same passion in your music as you do. Because the money is scarce at any level in your career, a  person who has passion will help you get you where you need to go with hopes of something done the line.

Lets get started:
How do we build our fans, we play shows and seem to get a great response but nobody buys our merch or follows us?
Here are some questions you need to ruthfully ask yourself. Some sound like  no brainers but do not happen regularly.
1. Do you show up early and hang out before and after your performance are do show up and leave.
*** I see numerous bands do this nightly which boggles my mind,***
2. Do you engage with the crowd while onstage?
*** this is huge, if you stand onstage do you look like a cardboard cutout and are shy to engage the crowd, people want interaction so put all the passion into your perfomance and leave your heart on stage. you can do as a singer songwriter to and MC or metal band and all inbetween.
3. After your performance do you go out into the crowd and meet your potential fans or do you go right to the merch table?
*** you need to delegate each member of the band, have one at the merch table and the rest talking to the crowd. Fans are stubborn, so it takes a little one on one with building new fans. Some of the most successful acts try and talk to everyone that saw their performance and guess what it works***
4. Do you offer anything for a new fan?
***Okay you have new fans, maybe offer them a free swag item, download of a song or something along those lines to may them feel appricated that they are now fans of the band.

To engage your fans to gain new ones and keep the loyal ones you need to keep up on your social media outlets that you use. Make sure its not always about the band and music, be human, talk about movies, games, sports, arts, current events. Treat fans as you new best friend. If you went on a cool trip to Vegas and it turnsout to be a Hangover type weekend, spill your beans.

We want to get more exposure and better opportunities, we see other bands breaking how come not us?
A lot of its hard work, who they know/networked with, have fans that love & spread their music and luck. A lot of times its being in the right place at the right time.

Network, Network, Network and when your done Network more..
1. You have to make yourself known in the scene by being seen.
***There are several bands over the years where I met them first, talked to them and hung with them way before I heard their music. This hasn't changed since music started the more visable you are the more people recognize you both fans, bands and industry.
Also you never know who you meet that can lead to something else.
2. You mentioned above Passion Industry People, where can I met thess people?
*** Honesty its networking, attending events and join organizations. Attend Music conferences, industry people come and speak at these events on their on time and you have a great chance of a one on one with industry people who have passion in what they do. I am a part of two major conferences the Dewey Beach Music Festival (www.deweybeachfest.com) and The Liberty Music Fest (www.libertymusicfest.com) both of these conferences are setup so that you the artist can talk directly to industry people who can help you right now. I speak at various conferences and music schools on a regular basis and I always try and talk to everyone and when I organize the panels for these events I bring in people who do the same. So get off your asses and attend these events. Other great conferences are LAUNCH in Lancaster, PA, SXSW is great more for meeting other regional bands.
***also If your a serious artist I recommend joining you local chapter of The Recording Academy (www.grammy.com). I joined back in 2000 and honestly say was a major factor into where I am today in the music business and a major accomplishment is that I was elected to sit on the Board of Govenors of the Philadelphia Chapter for the past 2 years and hopefully 2 more =). It's not just about the awards, we are about education, artis rights and help you with your musical needs. The Chapter hosts an impressive variety of events for the music community, including a GRAMMY Professional Development Event series and the In The Mix GRAMMY Professional Networking Event series. In addition, the Chapter provides opportunities for its members to network at can't-miss events such as its exclusive Annual Membership Celebration & Holiday Reception, a celebration of local achievements that year, and the annual GRAMMY Awards Telecast Viewing Party, where the local musical community gathers to cheer on the nominee along with a new event in it's 2nd year Independent’s Day Annual Music Entrepreneurship Conference
click here for upcoming events. If you want to join contact is on this page
http://www.grammy365.com/chapters/philadelphia-chapter

3. Do you utilize every option to get you music heard or you videos seen?
*** with the internet there are so many outlets to get your music heard. It comes down to researching BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY. The more visable you are the better chance you have in expanding your fanbase. It sounds simple right?? just like you ever other serious band is doing the same thing. So you have to stand out musically and having your business/image in order.
I would attack as many blogs, internet radio stations, podcasts, video channels, etc. there is no map for success it's just hardwork. Just don't send stuff blindly and hope something happens. Contact the person running the site directly, be engaging but not overbearing or winey. A lot is luck but it takes one ore two people to catch on and hopefully it spreads like a virus.

4. You content. is it new and always updated?
*** keep your music relevant by keeping it out there. Youtube is the #1 source for people finding new music. You don't have to be Spielberg, Keep thinking out of the box with creative video content. A great band that does this effectively is Beyond Dishonor (www.beyonddishonor.com) other than pro videos, the band has done several parody videos from an info commercial, a puppet singing a song, to a metcore cover of a Katy Perry Song and many more. Check out their videos on youtube and you will get the idea. Bands usually unleash all their content at once which is a big mistake, you make a game plan for each milestone whether is likes on facebook, attendance at show, downloads, etc. The make an event or contest about releasing it the public. Once you have your fans you want to continue to keep them excited about you. Cater to them.

This is all basic information but bands always tend to make it harder than it actually is.
In today's world one person can't make this happen, you need to build a team or delegate throughout
There isn't a golden key that will unlock the music riches to you. Artist that succeed worjk there asses off and lots of times it takes years to acheive a little success in this business.

Here are a few artists to checkout that I have seen being seen....

Rowboat Casino (http://www.rowboatcasino.com) new video "FlameThrower"


The High Five - (http://Reverbnation.com/thehighfivern) new video "Scars"




Thursday, April 4, 2013

Kid Felix performs at Legendary Dobbs on Sat. April 13th


Kid Felix has been on track and full steam ahead. The band recently opened for Silvertide,s reunion show at the TLA, were selcted to perform at this years MMR's BBQ @ the Susquhanna Center on May 18th w/ Soundgardem, Alice in Chains and Cheap Trick, WMMR has added their song "Class Action Satisfaction" in their rotation, played the Electric Factory on NYE and recently signed with DVT Entertainment. Kid Felix will be playing with an amazing band called HRVRD on Sat. April 13th which will be a killer 1-2 punch of energy and high performances.





Biography
After forming in May 2011, Kid Felix quickly began to make themselves known within the Philadelphia music scene. They released their first EP November 2011 called 'Head Above Water', and with its success they gained international exposure as the Grand Prize regional finalists of the 2012 Hard Rock Rising Global Battle of the Bands, as well as playing both Bamboozle and the Warped Tour in the summe...r of 2012.

Kid Felix then went on to solidify there role in the music scene when they released their second EP, 'Young Luck' in October 2012. 'Young Luck' grabbed the attention of some very important figures in the music industry today, allowing them to play to huge crowds in venues such at the TLA, World Cafe, Susquehanna Bank Center, Electric Factory and more. 

The six-piece rock band from Laurel Springs consists of Jake Falana (vocals), John Ambrutis (lead guitar), Brett Hagen (guitar), Julian Ungerer (bass), Ken Baxter (keyboards), and John Szachewicz (drums), the band uses its unique structure to produce an indie style rock with modern melodies over carefully orchestrated and layered instrumentals.

Endorsements:
Rotten Candy Clothing - http://www.rotten-candy.com/
Knuckle Head Guitar Strings - http://www.knucklehead.com/

http://www.kidfelix.com