Music Seen: Music Supervisor Hot Picks * Electric Six “Countdown to the Countdown”

Artist: Electric Six

Song: “Countdown to the Countdown”

Why I Luv It: As my loyal readers already know, anytime I get an opportunity to push high quality American rock n roll, I’m gonna’ do it, so you shouldn’t be surprised that this week I’m getting behind a brand new song from a band that ain’t so brand new.

The song is “Countdown to the Countdown” by Detroit, Michigan rockers Electric Six, and it’s hot off their yet-to-be-released 7th studio album entitled “The Zodiac” (out September 28th).

This song is an absolutely inspiring and balls-to-the-wall hard-charger of a rock song, and Dick Valentine (vocals), The Colenol (guitar), Johnny Na$hinal (guitar), Smorgasbord (bass), Tait Nucleus? (synths), and Percussion World (drums) have yet again proven that great stage names and veteran skills are all it takes to write and record a hit song. (Smiley Face) OK, just kidding! These guys can write and arrange a song with the best of them too!!!!!

If you’re not aware, Electric Six rocks as hard as MC5 or The Stooges while having the comedic sensibility of Les Claypool or even Weird Al Yankovic. If you like Queens of the Stone Age, Pink Floyd, Ween, and everything rock-n-roll in between, you’re gonna’ love this song, and furthermore, you’re gonna’ love their whole catalog. Make it a point to pick up “The Zodiac” when it comes out in September because it’s one helluva’ rippin’ super-dynamic sonic journey my friends!!!

Scene I Can See it In: “Countdown to the Countdown” by Electric Six must have been tailor made for NFL Football because this tune harnesses the raw power and fierce energy of the sport just as well as any other tune I’ve heard used for similar purposes to date.

Specifically, I think this song would be a great sonic-branding tool for the coverage leading up to and on the day of the NFL Draft. NFL Network and ESPN cover collegiate NFL Draft prospects throughout the off-season and right up until the day of the draft every April. For the last couple years, NFL Network has chosen and licensed songs to support their coverage of The Draft, and one winner of a song ends up being the main sonic-brand or theme of that years draft.

For example, “Dreamer” by K’Naan was used by the NFL in 2009 for limited Draft coverage, and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” has been extensively used by NFL Network over the past few years for Draft sonic-branding. “Under Pressure” plays more to the child-like emotion and nervous sensitivity in the hearts of young aspiring pro-atheletes. That’s a far cry from the pure rock fury exuded by Electric Six on “Countdown to the Countdown”, but that does not take away from the song’s undeniably strong instrumental emotion and obvious lyrical relevance to competitive professional sports.

The title “Countdown to the Countdown” (which is also the hook of the song) accurately exudes the tense, competitive emotion that every aspiring pro-athlete experiences on a daily basis. Furthermore, those words (especially the way they’re sung) put on display the immeasurable focus and hard work that each athlete puts in every day in preparation for the Draft. It’s not just the countdown, it’s “The Countdown to The Countdown”, and that is a perfect example of the serious commitment that each player makes to his sport, talent, and craft. The full song lyrics (at the end of this article) do the same just as well.

Vocal and instrumental performances are stellar on this track and they collectively hit the bulls-eye from the start of the song right up until a soaring psychedelic break at :47 in. I can see the beginning of the song being used as a backing track underneath exciting game highlights of perspective NFL Draftees. Right when the break comes in at :47 would be a perfect time for intense sweaty facial close-ups of these potential Draftee’s in a dark locker room, sitting on benches staring in to the camera lens as it pans by each player’s passionate yet stone cold face. These dramatic shots are meant to express the heart and soul of each of these players as they each individually Countdown to the Countdown of this year’s Draft.

As the break in the song builds back up to the intense rock fury of the verses and the hook, video footage could blend back in to highlight footage mixed with last year’s NFL Draftee’s having success on the field at the pro level in their rookie seasons.

Finally, I think this song is great fit for NFL Draft coverage because of the fact that it has a few distinctly unique sections that can be edited in to shorter-form chunks and used for different purposes (show bumpers, stingers, short-opens, etc) similar to my scene descriptions in the paragraph above.

Let’s all give a collective 2010 “WELCOME BACK” to NFL Football, and don’t forget to run out and buy Electric Six’s 7th studio album “The Zodiac” this September. Go Big Blue!!!!

Countdown to the Countdown

Where you gonna be when they can t control ya?
See you coming round and they gonna roll ya
Sell you in the ghetto like Detrola Cola
They start the countdown

Now you wish somebody would throw you a bone
Looking for a conflict to call your own
Well here s another song about the danger zone
It s about to go down!

35 seconds til the countdown starts
25 seconds til the countdown starts
94 seconds til the countdown starts
It s the countdown to the countdown

Time elapses
Love collapses
Over and over
Come over red rover
Our ship sails from Dover
Its cargo is time

Hey good looking with the helmet on!
Driving real fast on the autobahn
Staring at yourself up on the jumbotron
They start the countdown

35 seconds til the countdown starts
25 seconds til the countdown starts
94 seconds til the countdown starts
It s the countdown to the countdown

Can t stop listening
Can t stop watching

I need a product to use

Can t stop listening
Can t stop watching

It s called paying your dues!

Can t stop listening
Can t stop watching

Vampire movie on TV!

Can t stop listening
Can t stop watching

It s called paying your dues!
It’s called paying your dues!

Dave Hnatiuk of Autonatic Entertainment is a Music Supervisor / Sound Designer for MTV On-Air Promotions, NYC. Visit him at Autonatic Entertainment, Music Supervision Central or The Song Hunters. To be considered for a “Music Seen,” submit your track or link to Hnatiuk at submissions@sonicscoop.com.

Elie Maman (NY) Produces “Bring Me Down” for Sports Center LA

NYC-based Producer/Composer Elie Maman recently produced “Bring Me Down” by hip hop artist Fo Onassis featuring Mina.

The track is being featured on ESPN’s “Sports Center LA” for two consecutive weeks.

“When I was producing the track, I instantly ‘got that feeling’ that it was going to get licensed easily,” Maman says. “I sent it out and less than two weeks later I got offered a placement on ‘Sports Center LA’”.

Composer Focus: Elie Maman Keeps Moving Up

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN: It’s a New Year — Instead of finding a yoga instructor for inspiration, check out Elie Maman. Equally adept at the business side of the biz, this fast-emerging producer/composer shows us just what kind of head you have to have on to fly fast forward off the city grid.

Straight out of Flatbush to worldwide exposure, Maman personifies NYC hustle. At just 21, Maman is quickly proving himself, thanks to his ability to create original artist tracks and scores that are naturally one step ahead of the curve.

If there’s one thing Maman likes more than nailing a sound, however, it just might be scoring a synch license. It started in earnest when his uniquely driving hip hop song for Universal Republic artist David Rush, “You Already Know”, got a key placement and huge exposure on a 2009 episode of the MTV show “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory”. His appetite for music supervision success grew downright insatiable, and he’s been steadily building his network and library ever since.

Q: How would you describe the niche that Elie Maman Productions holds in the music business? How is your business model similar to others out there, and what’s making you different?
A: Elie Maman Productions is a one-stop-shop for music licensing — I handle everything from composing to the legal end of things. We’re similar in the sense that we all want the same outcome — which is getting music licensed in Film/TV and commercials, but the process of how we go about landing the deal is different. It’s a one-man show here at Elie Maman Productions.

Q: How do you see music and sound production evolving in NYC right now, and how are you set up to take maximum advantage of that?
A: The NYC music scene is always evolving. There’s a lot of opportunity here to make things happen. Some of the biggest music companies are based out of here — I take advantage by going out and NETWORKING at every event I hear about. With a site like SonicScoop it makes it much easier to be informed on the 411.

Q: Thanks for the plug! Your check is in the mail. Speaking of that — which revenue streams do you see opening up most strongly for NYC-based artists and music professionals? How are you involving yourself with those streams?
A: I see there are a lot of opportunities in the music licensing part of the music biz for artists and music professionals. Every source of media needs music, everything from film to TV to video games — even elevator music! Opportunities are endless. It’s all about finding YOUR niche.

Q: OK, let’s talk about YOUR niche, then! Tell us about a couple of different recent projects that you did that exemplify what you’re being asked to do now. What made them fun?
A: A recent project that I have completed was landing two tracks on MTV’s “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory” DVD Season 1, which was released in September.

Another recent project was landing a placement on the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. The crazy thing about this placement was that the whole room was filled with the biggest names in the music/film industry and they all heard my track cranked up in the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA – this besides the millions of people at home watching it live. My track played right before Eminem took the stage — never thought I’d hear my song on one of the biggest award shows!

The cool thing about placements is hearing your track playing live on TV: You get this crazy rush that is very hard to explain. If you’ve landed a placement before then you know what I’m talking about. There’s been many different times when I would be sleeping, my TV would be on, and I’d wake up from hearing one of my songs on. Or I might turn on the TV and immediately hear my song playing.

Some of my other recent highlights include “The People’s Choice Awards” on CBS (which airs this Wednesday, at 9 PM EST). I also recently landed a track on “The How to Show” on MTV.com for their “How To Dance Like Michael Jackson” segment, plus ESPN’s SportsCenter and Sirius Radio.

One last thing is that there have been many opportunities that came from my previous placements on shows. From landing a placement on “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory”, that led me to having the opportunity to have my track on the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, to getting a few other offers from MTV for some of their hit shows. My point is: one thing leads to another.

Q: That leads to this — how is your studio set up right now? Tell us about the technical highlights, and how it was built to accommodate the way you like to work.
A: My studio right now is really simple. Apple MacBook Pro set up like a desktop running Logic, JBL LSR 4326p monitors, Korg Wavestation as my controller, Rode NT1-A condenser mic, a few guitars and basses. That’s all! Pretty simple huh?

Q: Daddy like – it makes me feel a lot better about working 99% in the box. Give us one or two great production/mixing/mastering/recording tip that you’ve learned recently.
A: One: When mixing a track it’s always good to mix at a low volume, because once you get it to sound good at a low volume it will sound even better when it’s cranked up!

Two: When mastering a track, it’s always good to have a track similar in genre to A/B against to make sure you’re still getting the volume you need for that particular style of music.

Q: I especially like “Two” – it’s simple, but I hadn’t thought of that. OK, which piece of gear or plug-in is your “secret weapon”? Give it up!
A: I don’t own a piece of outboard gear. But I will say there is one VST that I find myself using quite often. Drum roll please! PoiZone by ImageLine.

Q: I ask people this a lot, and now I’m asking you: What’s rewarding and what’s challenging about being a music professional on your level today?
A: What’s rewarding is when you’ve created a tremendous amount of buzz from a track you had playing on a hit show. All of a sudden you’ve become this mini rock star! What gets tough is juggling everything from composing, mixing, and mastering to going out, networking, and taking care of the business end. There’s just not enough hours in a day.

Q: How does the fact that you’re choosing to do this in NYC impact how you go about growing your catalog and track record?
A: I would have to say it’s definitely a double-sided question. It’s easier to have a music career in a city like New York, as opposed to Indiana where it would be much harder to meet people in the biz. But on the other hand it’s much harder because there’s a lot more competition. – David Weiss