Wednesday Video Spotlight: Pillar frontman Rob Beckley announces solo project
Pillar frontman Rob Beckley, who lives in Broken Arrow, has announced that he plans to release his first solo record in March. His album will be the first release on new record label idefi Music.
“I am incredibly excited that Idefi believes in me enough to be their initial launch artist. I believe in Idefi and what it stands for and am incredibly honored” he says in the announcement. “An unknown future is as exciting as it gets in business, especially the music industry.”
For years, Beckley served as lead vocalist for the Christian nu-metal band Pillar and is scheduled to release his debut solo album in March through idefi. During his time with Pillar the band sold more than 1 million records worldwide and won three Dove awards. Their 2008 effort “the Reckoning” received a Grammy nod for “Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album.”
“The solo record is an opportunity to just be myself and not worry about sounding like ‘what Pillar is supposed to sound like’” he says.“I love rock, I love worship, and I love anthemic songs. This will be a straightforward rock record with the same passionate lyrics people grew used to in Pillar.”
“I really cannot wait for people to hear the record Rob’s working on and see what an artist can do when they are not under the thumb of a traditional label,” says idefi CEO Brady Deaton.
idefi music is a new record label model that puts control into the hands of the artists, according to the announcement. It allows artists to set their own pricing and determine what, when and how their music is released. Payment to the artist is instant and does not revolve around recouping advances and exorbitant promotional fees as seen in the traditional model.
“We’ve scanned a million records but we really haven’t seen any royalties” Beckley says. “They loan you all this money to do a record and you have to pay it back plus all the marketing before you get to any kind of return.”
Music from Rob’s new album will be released shortly after the launch of idefi Music on March 14. To learn more about idefi Music. go to www.idefimusic.com.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Cady Groves releases new EP “This Little Girl”
Emerging pop singer-songwriter Cady Groves, who grew up in Marlow, Cache and Yukon, released her “This Little Girl” EP Tuesday.
Featuring tracks including her popular first single “This Little Girl,” the digital EP will be available at all digital service providers and will include fan favorite track “We’re The Sh*t” as well as Groves remarkable cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” The physical version will be available www.cadygroves.com and will include the same tracks as the digital version with the addition of Groves duet “Oh Darlin’” with Plug in Stereo.
Groves, who was just spotlighted in Seventeen Magazine’s “Ultimate Guide To Music” will be joining her labelmates and friends Hot Chelle Rae in select North American markets in February and March.
Late last year Groves, who PopCrush named one of their “Artist to Watch in 2012” teamed with BUZZMEDIA to premiere the music video for “This Little Girl,” which features a cameo from Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton and is embedded up top along with an interview with Groves about the cameo.
In an unprecedented partnership, a set of BUZZMEDIA’s taste-making music sites and pop-culture destinations such as Idolator, PureVolume, Buzznet and JustJared unveiled a stream of exclusive interviews, photos and video leading up the premiere.
Signed to RCA Records last year, 22 year-old Groves, has been in the studio writing and recording songs for her full-length debut album which is due out later in 2012.
Check out some of Groves’ past videos here:
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Toby Keith thanks fans for making “Red Solo Cup” a top 10 hit
Oklahoma country music star Toby Keith has released a YouTube video thanking them for supporting his smash single “Red Solo Cup.”
“Red Solo Cup” started as a viral video, and it has become a country music phenomenon. The raucous party anthem has been certified platinum, according to CMT.com, and it is currently No. 10 on Billboard’s country songs chart. It has been viewed more than 11 million times on YouTube and has been covered on the Fox TV series “Glee.”
Now “Red Solo Cup” is in demand on apps and on backs.
“Proceed To Party” Red Solo Cup t-shirts were added to Toby Keith’s website store last week, selling out within a few hours, according to a news release.
The song is the Free Track of the Week on Tap Tap Revenge, the No. 1 best-selling app store music game of all time, according to the release.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: All-American Rejects release “Beekeeper’s Daughter” video, new album art
The All-American Rejects, who formed in 1999 in Stillwater, have released the music video to their new single “Beekeeper’s Daughter.”
“Beekeeper’s Daughter” is the first single from the band’s long-awaited new album “Kids in the Street,” due out March 27 on Interscope Records. The band also has revealed in a YouTube video the cover art for “Kids in the Street.”
“Kids in the Street” is the band’s first album since 2008′s “When the World Comes Down,” which spawned the smash “Gives You Hell.”
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Maggie McClure’s song “Good Morning and Good Night” to be featured in Oklahoma film “Cowgirls N’ Angels”
Singer-songwriter Maggie McClure, who hails from Norman, recently announced on Facebook that her original song “Good Morning and Good Night” will be featured in the opening credits of the upcoming movie “Cowgirls N’ Angels,” a coming-of-age feature filmed Oklahoma communities of Stillwater, Guthrie, Oklahoma City, and Pawnee.
The movie stars Bailee Madison (“Just Go With It,” “Bridge to Terabithia”), James Cromwell (“Babe,” “L.A. Confidential”), Jackson Rathbone (“The Twilight Saga” films), Alicia Witt (“Friday Night Lights,” “88 Minutes”), Frankie Faison (“The Silence of the Lambs,” “Meet the Browns”), Madison Burge (“Friday Night Lights,” “Seven Days In Utopia”), Leslie-Anne Huff (“MacKenzie Falls,” “Strawberry Cliff”), and Kathleen Rose Perkins (“The Island”).
Written by Timothy Armstrong and Stephan Blinn and directed by Timothy Armstrong, “Cowgirls N’ Angels” is billed as a heartwarming movie that tells the story of Ida, a feisty and rebellious young girl, who has dreams of finding her father, a rodeo rider. While searching for her dad, she connects with the Sweethearts of the Rodeo, a team of young female rodeo riders run by former rodeo star Terence Parker. Recognizing Ida’s innate talent for trick riding, Terence recruits her for their ranks. Accepted wholeheartedly by her new “family,” Ida finds a new passion that redefines her life, and may also help her find the father she’s been searching for.
Here is the trailer for the film, which is set for 2012 release:
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Samantha Crain “It’s Simple”
Shawnee singer-songwriter Samantha Crain has released this video for her song “It’s Simple.” The video is part of the “Be Nice to Your Kids” series from Delo Creative. This installment was sponsored by Dwelling Spaces.
“A Simple Jungle,” Crain’s three-track EP that features “It’s Simple,” was recently listed among Amazon.com’s Editor Picks for top MP3 albums of 2012.
Crain will be featured at the Feb. 19 Winter Wind Concert in the Norman Depot, 200 S Jones Ave. Tickets are $15 for the 7:00 pm concert. Refreshments will be served.
Having been raised in rural Shawnee may have influenced Crain’s quirky, earthy interpretation of folk music as much as her father’s record collection, which included Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead. But the young Crain was even more taken with the music of her home state, from the rootsy Americana of Woody Guthrie to the sonic experiments of the Flaming Lips.
After graduating from Dale High School, Crain enrolled at Oklahoma Baptist University, where she spent several semesters working toward a degree in English literature before registering for a semester-long songwriting retreat at Martha’s Vineyard.
That retreat allowed Crain to transform herself into a songwriter with a knack for narrative storytelling. When she returned home, she decided to pursue a career in music instead of returning to college.
Crain’s first pressed collection of songs, “The Confiscation,” is a concept album based around five short stories Crain had written involving the themes of redemption and betrayal. Ramseur Records took notice of this self-released EP, as well as a work schedule which saw Crain crisscrossing the country with guitar in tow, and ultimately offered her a spot on the label, reissuing “The Confiscation” in July 2007 as her Ramseur debut.
Crain’s first LP with the Midnight Shivers was the April 2009 release “Songs in the Night.” The album release was followed with an NPR Weekend Edition feature and favorable reviews from Paste magazine, the Washington Post, woxy.com, and emusic.com.
After the Midnight Shivers disbanded, Crain released her second full-length LP, “You (Understood),” in June 2010.
All three of her albums have made my top 10 albums list their respective years.
“Samantha Crain writes folk music, but she belts out notes like she’s singing R&B. Her rich alto seems to have no bottom, and the sound of it against her bare guitar is enough to raise gooseflesh” writes Rolling Stone.
Winter Wind Concerts are produced by The Performing Arts Studio and made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on Crain’s Winter Wind Concert, go to www.pasnorman.org or www.TicketStorm.com.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Black Keys’ “Gold on the Ceiling”
The Black Keys have released the music video for “Gold on the Ceiling,” from their 2011 album “El Camino.”
The celebrated duo is coming to Tulsa for an April 28 show at the BOK Center. For more information, go to www.bokcenter.com.
“El Camino” was released Dec. 6 on Nonesuch Records, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200. The duo recently was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time.
The duo embarks on the first leg of its North American tour this March, featuring sold-out shows at Chicago’s United Center, DC’s Verizon Center, and two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, followed by a second batch of April dates, including the shows at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center and Tulsa’s BOK Center.
Special guests Arctic Monkeys open on the tour.
In anticipation of the release of “El Camino,” the duo joined Steve Buscemi on the Dec. 2 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” This was the band’s second time in 2011 as musical guests on the show, a “rare distinction,” says Rolling Stone. Other recent television appearances include “The Colbert Report” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
Produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys, “El Camino” was recorded in the band’s new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. In advance of the release, the album’s first single, “Lonely Boy,” was released in October, to acclaim from fans and press; the song climbed the radio charts rapidly and is currently No. 1 on the AAA chart and has spent weeks at No. 1 on the Alternative chart. It also has entered the top 10 at Rock radio. Additionally, the accompanying video has been viewed nearly 6 million times on YouTube.
Describing the sound of the album, drummer Patrick Carney tells Rolling Stone, “Every record, we figure out the mood and stick with that. With ‘Brothers,’ we were listening to a lot of hip-hop and old R&B and drawing from that. This is the first record we’ve made where it’s all rock & roll.” And in an interview with Spin Magazine vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach says, “I’ve never been into guitar solos. I really like when every instrument in the band is a rhythm instrument. This record has a lot of that going on—guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards all working together as a rhythm instrument. But unlike Brothers, which has more of these slower songs with an open feeling, [the new LP] is definitely fast.”
“El Camino” follows the most successful two years in The Black Keys’ career. In May 2010, they released their breakthrough album, “Brothers.” It won three Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award, and topped numerous year-end lists. “Brothers,” which included the hit singles “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ for You,” has been certified gold in the U.S. and U.K., and platinum in Canada. U.S. sales are nearly 1 million and counting.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Miranda Lambert making acting debut on tonight’s “Law & Order: SVU”
Country music star Miranda Lambert, who lives in Tishomingo, will make her acting debut as a guest star on tonight’s episode of the procedural drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
“Law & Order: SVU” airs at 9 tonight on NBC (KFOR-4 in Oklahoma City).
Tonight’s episode is titled “Father’s Shadow.” To read NewsOK TV blogger Melissa Hayer’s review of the episode, click here.
In this Wednesday Video Spotlight, check out clips from the episode and an interview with Lambert about appearing on the show, which she calls one of her favorites.
Here is the synopsis of tonight’s episode:
Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) finds herself in danger when a rape investigation spirals into a hostage crisis. Harry Connick Jr., Miranda Lambert and Michael McKean guest star. An aspiring actress is found unconscious in Central Park with drugs in her system and evidence of sexual trauma. Detectives Benson (Hargitay) and Amaro (Danny Pino) pay a visit to the reality show producer (guest star McKean) for whom she had auditioned just before the attack, and stop him from assaulting another actress (guest star Lambert) on the casting couch. The detectives arrest the producer, but the situation turns dangerous when his distraught son takes drastic action in order to get his father out of jail. Meanwhile, Benson and Executive ADA David Haden (guest star Connick) grow closer. Also starring Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Dann Florek (Captain Donald Cragen), Richard Belzer (Sergeant John Munch) and Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins.) Special appearance by Linus Roache (Bureau Chief Mike Cutter.)
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: HOTT MT featuring Wayne Coyne, “Never Hate Again”
I know it’s early in the year, but this may just be one of the best music stories of 2012.
On the morning of his 51st birthday (Jan. 13), Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne answered the door at his Oklahoma City home to find three strangers bearing a gift: Nick Logie of the Los Angeles alt-rock quintet Telegram, his girlfriend Ashleigh Allard, and their friend Adam Ashe were holding an extravagantly packaged copy of an album Logie and Allard had just finished recording, according to Spin.com.
Coyne tweeted a photo of the trio along with the note, “Some weirdos showed up on my porch … They drove all the way from LA to bring me a birthday gift!!!”
The Lips leader – who gets visitors but doesn’t encourage them – did more than just tweet about the visit: He invited them in and according to Logie, “He said, ‘You guys look like weirdos! Come inside, just please don’t kill me.’ ”
The visit turned into a four-night stay in which the trio – a psych-pop side project Logie and Allard launched called HOTT MT (Hour of the Time, Majesty Twelve) – and Coyne wrote a song and recorded the music video called “Never Hate Again,” which basically tells a skewed version of the real story.
The Lips are known for their eagerness to collaborate with many and varied fellow musicians, but that is just over the top.
I adore this story, guys, and the song is pretty rad, too. It’s like reason number 1,273 to love the Lips!
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Damn Quails reach top 10 on Americana Music Chart, earn 3 Lone Star Music Award nominations
Gabriel Marshall and Bryon White of The Damn Quails has certainly ruffled a lot of feathers with the release of their debut record “Down the Hatch” on 598 Recordings. The phenomenal duo from Norman has spent the last few months basking in rave reviews that unanimously proclaim the record as one of the best to be released in 2011.
Soon after their debut on the Americana Music Chart at No. 26, “Down the Hatch” has now broken the seal on the Top 10, coming in at No. 9 this week. The record’s first single “Fools Gold” has also arrived at No. 9 on the TexNet50 Chart.
“It’s amazing to be in company with some of the folks that paved the way for us to do what we do. We are honored to help carry the torch of independent music and I am as proud as I can be of the guys I get to play with in this band,” Marshall says in a news release.
And the praise keeps on coming for this very deserving Oklahoma duo! The Damn Quails have just been nominated for three Lone Star Music Awards in the categories of Best Americana/Roots-Rock Album, Emerging Artist of the Year and Best Album Artwork. Vote for the Quails at www.lonestarmusic.com.
Plus, the Quails continue to kill it out on the live circuit with performances across Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. The Damn Quails will play with the Josh Abbot Band in Chicago on Friday, at the seventh annual Randy Rogers Band “For The Sake of the Song” Festival in Concan, Texas, on March 16, with the legendary Robert Earl Keen in Austin, Texas, on April 14, and at the 2012 Braun Brothers Reunion Festival in Challis, Idaho, on Aug. 11. For more tour information, go to www.thedamnquails.com.
After you check out these live videos from the duo performing here in their home state, please read my recent interview with The Damn Quails by clicking here.
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