NYC Producer/Engineer/Mixer Steve Pageot Signs Endorsement Deals with Native Instruments, Arturia

NYC-based Producer/Engineer/Mixer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Pageot (Aretha Franklin, Bone Thugs & Harmony, Krayzie Bone, Snoop Dog, ESPN, MTV) announced that he has recently signed two endorsement deals.

As an endorser of Native Instruments, Pageot is working extensively with the Maschine Groove Production Studio. Pageot is also now endorsing Arturia and is using the new Analog Laboratory Synthesizer Workstation in many of his current projects.

In addition, Pageot continues to instruct the Electronic Music Production workshop at SAE Institute’s NYC campus in Herald Square, now in his sixth year with the class.

“What’s great about this situation is that I get to prep the students with a two hour music production workshop before they graduate,” he says. “I feel very blessed that for the last six years SAE has giving me the chance to inspire so many students, and that these major companies are endorsing me. To me, it’s a stamp of approval for my contribution in the music industry.”

Find Steve Pageot at HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/STEVEPAGEOT, and twitter.com/StevePageot.

NYC Author Greg Prato Publishes New Book “MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video”

NYC-based author Greg Prato has two new titles that are now available for purchase.

The first, “MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video,”  (427 pp, $24.99) is the first-ever book to focus solely on the channel’s important building-block years, specifically from the launch of NYC-based MTV to when its original group of VJs left the channel. Comprised of over 70 all-new interviews (“Weird Al” Yankovic, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rob Halford, Stewart Copeland, Rick Springfield, Jerry Casale, Geddy Lee, Ann Wilson, Chuck D, Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood, and more), the book is an account of the early years of MTV and the stories behind its biggest videos, and also of the music industry, important music developments/events, and the “Big ’80s” in general.

The second, “The Eric Carr Story,” (256 pp, $19.99) is the first-ever book to tell the life story of the late Kiss drummer Eric Carr. Comprised of all-new interviews, the book also doubles as a study of 1980′s era Kiss. Readers will find insight into all of Kiss’ albums that featured Carr (from producers Bob Ezrin, Michael James Jackson, and Ron Nevison), as well as those closest to him (sister Loretta Caravello, girlfriend Carrie Stevens, Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick), and music-related friends (Eddie Trunk, Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy, Anthrax’s Charlie Benante).

Also included is one of the last-ever interviews conducted with Kiss’ original manager, Bill Aucoin, and for the first time ever, Kiss fans will be able to learn what the real story line to Kiss’ controversial release “(Music From) The Elder” was all about, via an explanation from Ezrin.

Both books are set up in an “oral history” format and have a multitude of rarely seen/never-before-seen photographs.

Previous titles from Prato include the author of “Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music,” “Touched By Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story,” and “A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon.”

Music Seen – Synch Licensing Hot Picks * This or the Apocalypse

Artist: This or the Apocalypse

Song: “Charmer”

Why I Luv It: Metal-core band This or The Apocalypse from Lancaster, PA landed on my radar earlier this year. That’s when my MTV video editor/friend Andre Sosnowski gave me the heads-up that the band was getting in the studio with Josh Wilbur (Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold) and Chris Adler (Lamb of God).

(I also found out today that a talented young bass player/drummer who I am currently mentoring at MTV, Dan Stankus of the band Cabin Theory, is friendly with the drummer of TOTA. Cabin Theory is an act that is impressing me more and more as I get to know them as well, so give them a good look too if you dig the “This or the Apocalypse” sound.)

I have immense respect for anything Josh Wilbur and Chris Adler touch musically speaking, and for these two monster visionary and accomplished engineer/producer/musicians to anoint “This or the Apocalypse” as worthy of their time and ideas in the studio, I couldn’t help but pay close attention to what would come of the collaboration.

The result does not disappoint: The song “Charmer” is a raging onslaught of riff-tastic guitar work by Jack Esbanshade and Rodney Fields along with Sean Hennessey on bass, as well as bombastically-executed drum performances by Grant McFarland, and vicious vocal performances by Ricky Armellino.  The influence of Wilbur and Adler are clear and present when listening to “Charmer” too by the way.

Keep in mind, Josh Wilbur co-produced Lamb of God’s most recent full-length effort “Wrath” (released last year) among a long list of other multi-genre and noteworthy acts. Chris Adler (drummer/co-producer of Lamb of God) has impressively found the time to be in the studio alongside Wilbur for This or the Apocalypse’s latest effort “Haunt What’s Left” (Lifeforce Records/Good Fight Music, 2010) in between a grueling business and touring schedule.

If you know Lamb of God’s “Wrath” album, I’m sure you’ll hear Josh Wilbur’s instantly recognizable production influence, and you’ll also pick up on Chris Adler’s fluidly powerful and precise drumming rubbing off on Grant McFarland. The same goes for the powerhouse guitar work by battle-ax-trio Esbanshade, Fields, and Hennessey.

Scene I Can See it In: “Charmer” is spot-on perfect for a placement in a film, TV show, or trailer (for either) that has a storyline based on an intensely inspired hero main character who has one goal — and 1 goal only:  to inflict punishment on the head bad guy in retribution for whatever it is the main hero character is fighting for.

Our hero main character has a tortured soul too BTW.  Follow the lyrics on the YouTube video link provided above and see for yourself….

“Charmer’s” relentless battle ensemble of thrashing yet intelligent guitar riffs, complemented by high-speed-precision “stomp of war” drumming and passionately performed vocals, along with very direct lyrics makes this track a seamless-soundtrack-match for a lead hero character who is enraged and out for revenge against a very powerful/evil opponent.

It should also be noted that the dynamic arrangement of this song make it a film/tv music editor’s dream!!  Be sure to listen to this track in its entirety.  There are a tremendous amount of options to be considered from a music editing standpoint within the song “Charmer.”

For instance, the instrumental breakdown at 02.22 followed by the harmonic/melodic/psychedelic vocals in the bridge are perfect sections of this song that could be used by a film/TV music editor to create a transition in mood, character motivation, or story arc with the ultimate goal of transitioning back in to the main verse riff of the song to pay off the emotional goal of the video sequence.

Keep listening my friends….  And tell me what you think!

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.

Music Seen: Sniper Twins’ “Computer Friends”

Artist: Sniper Twins

Song: “Computer Friends”

Why I Luv It: I’ve been a fan of two fired-up Texans now living in Manhattan called the Sniper Twins since the day they played me one of their first demos going back five years or more. On that history changing day, Dax Martinez Vargas and Barry Flanagan played me a snippet of a song that’s now called “Computer Friends,” and I’m fairly certain that both of these gifted MC/Producer/Writer/Directors would tell you close to the same thing if you asked them how the song ultimately came about. If my memory serves me right, it went something like this…

At the same time Dax and Barry played me their demo, I was helping my friend and regular collaborator film and TV director/writer Christian Charles develop the soundtrack for his pitch to potentially land the job directing a new remake / reimagination of Revenge of the Nerds. So I was in a vigorous search for multiple homerun-songs that perfectly embody the life of the quintessential computer nerd.

Enter Dax and Barry…..

Upon first listen, I immediately gravitated to the then unnamed snippet of a song due to its obvious “hit potential,” and based on certain witty lyrical elements of the song and a great instrumental starting point, I urged D&B to focus their writing on computer nerd life and computer technology specifically. D&B liked the idea, and along with a few more encouraging words of musical constructive advice, they were back in the studio and off to the races.

Result?

The ultimate hip-hop nerd anthem “Computer Friends” by the Sniper Twins was born. The Revenge of the Nerds remake didn’t materialize for Christian and I or anybody for that matter so far, but “Computer Friends” became a cult internet sensation (well over 700,000 You Tube Views to date) and Sniper Twins scored a sponsorship with technology firm Seagate to fund their video.

“Computer Friends” is totally licensable through Sniper Twins, so don’t worry about the sponsorship. They own their rights 100%. Oh, and they followed it up with another sponsorship deal with Hershey’s for their new song “Chocolate Shoppe” too!! Not bad at all, right? Right! (They wrote and directed both videos themselves, btw.)

Yeah sure, I’m a fan and a creative muse on this one, but I’ve got no financial stake in this, so feel free to take your shots! Regardless, this song kicks major ass, and the video is smart and hilarious.

Dax and Barry (and vocal contributor Rob) are all very creative, cutting edge, smart, and talented artists with a very big upside for future success in this business. Make it your business to get familiar with their business both musically and visually because they’re not straying anywhere too far away from the road to success any time soon. I’d like to be there when they arrive, and now here’s your chance too.

Scene I Can See it In: Since I basically laid it out blatantly in my “Why I luv it” section above, I will keep this part short, sweet, and immediately to the point.

With all due respect to our intellectually gifted buddies throughout the media land, “Computer Friends” by the Sniper Twins is the quintessential stereotypical nerd anthem folks, and you, me, and the rest of the world know there is plenty of good opportunity to license the perfect song for anything related to technology — whether it’s scripted or reality visual media we’re dealing with.

Here’s the short list of where to place this overdue baby immediately:

Technology / Computer related story or recurring segment on a cable news or information channel: Your segment theme song should be “Computer Friends” by The Sniper Twins. Who’s your music supervisor MSNBC, CNN, SKY News, Fox News, CNBC, Fox Business Network, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX??? Well, whoever they are, they’re missing the boat on this one. Sorry. Next.

Feature Film focused on computer / technological geniuses like David Fincher’s The Social Network: Even if the film isn’t comically-based in terms of storyline, don’t tell me there isn’t a funny moment somewhere in this film for this song… and any film related to computers, hand-held devices or digital technology for that matter.

Oh and if you’ve got a film that is focused on computer / technological geniuses in general, and it’s a comedy, then your main title theme song or end credits song should be “Computer Friends” by The Sniper Twins.

So there you have it… “Computer Friends” by The Sniper Twins is a hot untapped nerd commodity, and the only question now is who gets the opportunity to license it in the coolest place first? It’s off to the races jockies and horses. Put your money on the Sniper Twins. It’s a sure thing.

“Computer Friends” by The Sniper Twins Complete Lyrics:

My desktop is the best top
Nothing less bought
Check my desk bra’ 
Killa machine
That’s a G5 clean and white
250 Gigabyte 
Gig of Ram killa man
20 inch screen
Wanna burn a disc 
How bout a DVD 
Wirelessly?
Check my POP 1-6-6-2-4-6-7
If there’s ever a problem 
I call my Tech man Devon
Yo devon man whatcha doin’ tonight 
come over to my crib
disc permissions aint right
Check out the back of my CPU 
I got more ports than a wine store do
Let’s talk mouse
And lets talk keys
Bluetooth rays
Compute through the breeze
With my desktop Hey
I compute with ease
think your lap top stand a chance bra’
pleeeaaase.
I’m goin’ buy… baby 
a new disk drive…lady
one point five… terabytes 
stack the memory to the sky

—Chorus— 
[I'm goin' buy... baby 
a new disk drive...lady 
one point five... terabytes 
stack the memory to the sky
It's been a while... baby 
on the 30-day trail... lady 
it's probly time for us to buy 
hit that paypal and comply]

—second verse—
Come on take a ride 
on the super highway
information you cravin’ 
your keyboard’s like a steinway
enter escape 
or print this screen
if your computer freezes up 
hit control alt delete
you can re-boot reload 
restart and re-figure
your motherboard’s crashin 
while my bandwidth gets bigger
i bust through your firewall 
with my fireball 
no network protects kid 
from this Viral
get your norton, your symetec, 
and your MacCafee
got a hail storm of pop-ups 
now you mad at me
OMG, BRB 
when I chat is my protocol 
k
eep em all in stitches 
with my smiley face emoticon
like a robotron 
i’m a stay multi-taskin’
go to message boards for my class 
what they askin’?
Gotta research 
Rwandan murders and death counts
better re-connect my proxy server 
then let’s bounce

—Chorus— 
[I'm goin' buy... baby 
a new disk drive...lady 
one point five... terabytes 
stack the memory to the sky
It's been a while... baby 
on the 30-day trail... lady 
it's probly time for us to buy 
hit that paypal and comply]

—Bridge— [
I got double your ram, ask your man 
my home office looks like a space ship..bam! 
your girls got a busted myspace pic...damn! 
your whole PC needs a face lift...man!]

Flippin these digits and switchin these keys
what can Brown do for you?
Send me software for free downloading diamond bundles from his ftp 
Pluggin in plug-ins and VST
Preamp these vocals lay them down on track 3
So I’m covering my tracks from the interpolice
and I’m watching my back making black market beats
with my refurbished dell plug-in USB
mass appealing to the fans going P2P
DMV on the mic and I need more power,
So patch it right in to my workstation tower
Megahertz popping through my Pre-Sonus Amp
Pumping these beats and kicking these jams
Despite my fiber optic cable ethernet
my quadrupple core processor is working up a sweat
something slowing down my system that I can’t even see
my folder’s full of cookies, eating up my memory.

I’m goin’ buy… baby a new disk drive…lady 
one point five… terabytes
stack the memory to the sky
It’s been a while… baby
on the 30-day trail… lady
it’s probly time for us to buy
hit that paypal and comply

I’m goin’ buy… baby
a new disk drive…lady
one point five… terabytes
stack the memory to the sky

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.

Hnatiuk A Featured Music Supervisor-Speaker At Industry Meltdown Midwest Music Summit

Hundreds of independent artists and musicians from around the Midwest will attend Unidec’s Industry Meltdown Midwest Music Summit (IMMMS) September 17-18 in Milwaukee. Industry professionals from around the country, including SonicScoop “Music Seen” creator and NYC-based MTV Music Supervisor, Dave Hnatiuk, will participate in the two-day event, themed “I AM MUSIC: Make Your Music Work for You.”

IMMMS aims to educate, equip, and unify artists and music industry professionals to be greater contributors to the Midwest music scene.

Attendees will be face-to-face with successful music business, who will share their knowledge and expertise to provide attendees of every genre with the know-how to take their music careers to the next level.

With seminars and panels on new industry trends, marketing & social networking, successful tour management, and opportunities for one-on-one music critiques from label A&Rs and music supervisors, including Hnatiuk. (See video of Hnatiuk discussing his involvement in the IMMMS.)

“As a panelist, Dave will be leading the conversations on music supervision and how placing your music is a huge part of the new music industry,” said IMMMS co-chair Brent Hoffman. “Dave will lead conversations on the importance of getting your music placed in film, television, and video games, the role of music supervisors, the process to getting music placed, and share some success/failure stories based on his years of experience. IMMMS is extremely excited to have somebody of the caliber of Mr. Hnatiuk as a panelist for this year’s event.”

Other scheduled panelist include: Roy Elkins (CEO, Broadjam), Martin Atkins (author of Tour: Smart), Jycorri Robinson (Digital Marketing Director, UMG), Jay Warsinske (owner, Indiepower.com), Stuart Love (owner, Alice Enterprises), and music supervisors and label representatives from Atlantic, Jive, Sony, Universal, Def Jam and RCA.

For more information on the IMMMS, visit www.industrymeltdownsummit.com and check out the Summit’s Facebook fan page for more on the featured speakers.

Stacie Rose: On Fearless Songwriting, Sharp Synch Licensing, and her ALTER EGO

RUTHERFORD, NJ: When an insatiable appetite for songwriting collides with a quest for success, artists like Stacie Rose are the result. You could say this career-focused New Jersey native is fast-emerging, except there’s a lot to suggest she’s already arrived.

A young but oft-licensed songstress with a clear ear for hooks, her cuts have already garnered synch uses from clients including MTV’s “The Hills”, VH1′s “Tough Love”, Paste Magazine’s “SONGS FOR HAITI” compilation, amc, FX, ABC, Escada fragrance campaign, American Airlines Radio, and FUSE TV. Those tracks, several off of her Shotgun Daisy! album, are about to get a run for their money from her dual ALTER EGO EP releases of Raw Sugar and Means to an End (Enchanted Records), going first to her Pledge Music supporters on July 20, and then to the big ole’ world on August 17th.

She’s no calculating bean counter, though. Rose’s approach to creativity and collaboration are what keep her energized, as she revealed in the SonicScoop interview. Listen to what she lays out here — we say this is How to Make it in Music, 2010 style.

You’re a pretty prolific writer. How does a song get started for you?

My approach to songwriting varies a little. It generally starts with a lyric, a gut feeling or story that leads to a lyric, or sometimes I just grab the guitar and start strumming, and humming, and then it’s racing around looking for a pen and something to jot ideas on, like junk mail or the back of a magazine, and then my digital recorder to sing into.

Then, it’s Demo One, followed by Demo Two, many versions, verse and chorus — sometimes days in between, then a bridge might emerge.

Maybe that’s more my process: My approach is really capturing the essence of the moment, or concept, I’m writing about. I try to bring my perspective to things, my metaphors, and create a mood, a picture, or emotional landscape. Sometimes I try to teach myself a lesson, work through a  personal challenge, or celebrate an epiphany.

I used to feel very evolved, but I seem to be going through a new phase where I am suddenly tripping upon survival skills, questioning things, reacquainting myself with my inner strength and writing through it all. Sometimes I don’t try to do anything at all, no goals — and the songs/words pour out.

That lines up with the very thing that I’m trying to relearn this week – that change is GOOD. So how does that songwriting approach reflect how you see yourself as an artist?

I view myself as a unique, pop songwriter, both fiery, and feminine. I’m almost always in motion, even when I am still.

I’m not an anarchist, but certainly do not conform to anything or anybody. I don’t follow the pack. I do take my work/songs very seriously, but don’t take myself tooooo seriously. I have dark comedy tendencies and the deepest love of melody and words. I’ve come to accept my own dichotomies. I can rock out pretty well, but can also turn a shy side. I’m part late-night, acoustic singer-songwriter girl, who sometimes likes to mash and trash it up!

That’s multiple personalities! But at SonicScoop, it’s not a disorder. What’s been your approach or strategy for developing your musical career?

My goals are to continue to create music on my terms with people whom I respect, and enjoy sharing the process with. I always want to give myself the room to grow and experiment. It’s important for me to be true to my heart, my vision and to stay in the moment as much as possible, enjoying, or at least feeling the process even when it’s more difficult.

I really make a grand effort to help these songs out into the world, so that they can have a life, and hopefully work their way into people’s homes, hearts, heads, and iPods.

You’ve built up a great track record all ready with synch placements – MTV, VH1, FX, FUSE TV. How did you get started on this track? What role have music-to-picture placements had in your artist development?

The Orchard managed to place my song “Here’s Looking at You” in an ESCADA “Sunset Heat” Webisode. When I saw the footage, it felt really fitting. The song is up tempo and free-spirited. The episode was summery, sexy, & beachy.

I’ve actually had two songs in racy bathroom scenes, which I think is kind of funny and interesting. My good friend and filmmaker, David Kittredge, used my song “Promised Land (remix)” in his award-winning film, “Pornography: A Thriller”. The song pumps in a club as two guys size each other up in the men’s room. Another song of mine called “Back to Life” made it into an episode of the FX show, “The Riches” (with Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard). That song played in a bathroom scene in which Minnie got groped at a neighborhood house party by her husband’s colleague. Good stuff!

Then the placements in MTV’s “The Hills” and VH1’s “Tough Love” got a lot of buzz since those hit shows are such guilty pleasures! I had a song called “Find Your Way” in an amc movie spot, and it was wonderful because it aired just before my last record Shotgun Daisy! was released.

The movies being promoted were stellar and stories within the spot really meshed well with the lyrics and melody. The characters in the movies were in fact “finding their way” A really great spot, and good match! And, amc was super cool and artist-friendly, including an artist/song/label credit, which helped with record sales. The spot is on YouTube and gets a lot of love from fans, and made new people aware of my music.

In general, the licensing is a really great way for artists to earn money and to continue creating. The consistent placements have really helped me to build buzz, gain momentum, and get people’s attention.

Licensing PROPS. So does it get hard NOT to think of synch-ability as you continue to write? Do you find yourself wondering if a song is going to work for picture as you write it?

I usually don’t think about synch when I write. I might just have a knack for finding a universal way to convey things. I like being poetic, and crafty in my writing but I also want people to get it — I believe in the power of a good pop song!

It may sound obvious, but why do you think having an understanding of synch licensing is important for emerging artists?

You want to be able to market yourself and bring your songs to the surface, reaching the masses. You’ve got to know the game if you want to play. People are watching TV, webisodes, and films. They won’t always seek you out, so you need to find ways to bring the music to them.

This is a sneaky and savvy way of getting your music to be heard and felt. It’s quick and painless. And, if they dig it, they might come back for more, seek you out, purchase your music, stalk you, blog about you, etc…

Well put. Switching gears, do you have your own studio in NYC, or do you record at other people’s facilities? Where do you like to work?

I demo all my songs at home on a digital Sony mini recorder. If I’m on the run, with no guitar on hand, I will sing into my iphone(recorder ap). If I mean business and am going for a real recording or even a pristine demo, I will work at Defy Recordings with Robert L. Smith. He gets beautiful sounds. I work on a lot of arrangements with Jeff Allen at his place in the Bronx, and often bounce around to various studios (mostly in NYC) to work on various side projects.

When someone works with a variety of producers like you do, how do you decide who to work with?

I guess I mostly work with the people I love and trust the most because it’s like home. Robert and Jeff have really been constant collaborators. Both of them have introduced me to a myriad of amazing singers, musicians, and writers.

David Patterson and Rob McKeever (both guitar players) have consistently helped me find a voice for my songs through the years, so I often turn to them as I write.

I am really loyal to those who have been on board since the get-go and, at the same time, incredibly open to meeting new artists and melding my music with others. I feel as if I’ve been collecting new friends and building momentum mostly because of the exciting energy that comes from good, soulful, collaborating. It’s the key to my success as an artist.

That’s BIG. Did that work go into your new EPs – two different projects — that are about to come out simultaneously?

I’m about to release the most exciting project of my musical career thus far: The Alter-Ego EPs, officially due on on August 17th. I raised a good portion of the budget for this through PLEDGE MUSIC.  I have been sharing the process, and progress through PLEDGE, Facebook, my website, Twitter, blogs etc…

This is really the first of many concept projects for me. The Alter-Ego EP: MEANS TO AN END is a bit more raw than my other records, and veers off on an edgier, live-ish path.

The sound and approach is mostly influenced by some of my classic rock heroes. Jeff Allen ( the producer of this EP) and I got our dream band together, did two long rehearsals and then went right into the studio and recorded six tracks in one long day, so that the ideas would be slightly rough around the edges and possess that raw, unaffected energy that comes with the initial creation of something.

We recorded with Oliver Straus at Mission Sound in Brooklyn. He got stellar sounds, and the day is one of my favorite memories. Since then I’ve been finishing my vocals, and we’ve been adding a few exiting overdubs –The icing! It’s being mixed right now!

The Alter-Ego EP: RAW SUGAR is pretty dancy. It’s pop at its clubbiest for me and has been really exciting to make.

Robert L. Smith has produced this EP with me. It’s been intensely collaborative, constantly evolving and there are so many exciting people involved. It’s a departure for me in a way, but feels totally natural. I’ve worked with Robert to corral and empower the various producers, mixers, programmers and singers involved, to help shape, and make these songs a sensation.

In doing so, I have felt new sides of myself emerge. I see neon, champagne, and many costume changes in my future. So, I guess I would describe the overall project as gritty and pretty, pop and pow, sugary and savory, thunder and lightning. They go together but are totally different.

On another musical side of you — you introduced me to a really interesting project involving the Beatles and some ukuleles…

Well I’m sort of late to the party, but happy to have been invited nonetheless.  This whole thing happened pretty organically. I had the good fortune to have been introduced to the amazing singer-songwriter/vocal producer Mike Harvey. My friend/producer/collaborator Robert L. Smith hooked us up for the ALTER-EP project I am currently working on.

Mike’s soulful voice has become a key ingredient in the dance/pop songs. He introduced me to David Barratt who founded the high-concept art project THE BEATLES COMPLETE ON UKULELE with Roger Greenawalt. It’s like “Where’s Waldo?”, but with ukulele. You’ve got these amazing, intricate, arrangements, and exciting incarnations of beloved Beatles songs, and somewhere within each track there is a UKULELE! How fun is that?!!!

Sometimes the instrument plays a large roll, sometimes it’s a bit more discreet, but it’s the common thread that binds this project together. I loved having the opportunity to pick the song I wanted to approach in my own way. When I got the list of available songs, my eyes raced down the page, searching for I ME MINE (written by George Harrison)… it was free! It was MINE! once I declared it so, David built the most gorgeous, hypnotic track for me to sing to and the rest is history. The track should make its way into the world this summer!  It’s quite a unique and exiting project, with so many amazing artists lending their voices.

The track we heard was indeed awesome — although the latest post (July 2) on the blog makes note of “irreconcilable differences” between Roger and Dave. Intrigue! Anyway, so you’re off to a good start: What advice do you have for songwriters/artists who are just getting started now? And in that vein, what do you know now that you wished you had known a few years ago as you were getting started?

WOW — I wish I had known so many things when I got started and I really knew nothing. It was a blessing in many ways because it taught me to be resourceful, organized and creative.

I made countless mistakes, and made astonishing waves by being fearless, and stepping up to things. I always acted like I had it going on, and this confidence seemed to draw others into my orbit.  Sometimes I wish I possessed the same brand of moxie now.  Ignorance is bliss, to a point. Knowledge is power, always–and some place in between that–if you can remain open, stay focused. learn from mistakes, trials and errors, and hold onto that raw, gutsy, mojo… that’s magic!

I would also tell a newbie, to do things on your own terms. There’s no fast track, no tricks, and no finite way to make or promote music today. Find what works for you. Define your own sense of success. It’s ok if you don’t have all the answers, but you have to be willing to learn, ask, and try.

You don’t know? Draw from your heroes and influences but always try to be unique, authentic and GOOD! Persistence often pays off. Put good energy out into the world, treat others as you wish to be treated, seriously, and don’t do it if you don’t love it and burn for it.

Thanks for some inspirational insights. Lastly, why do this in NYC and not LA, Nashville or Nairobi?

Because NYC is still the best place in the world, with the best pulse, the hottest vibe, and an intangible energy force-field! There will always be a certain artistic history, and edge about NYC that reminds you that you’re alive and that anything is possible. There’s both a toughness and friendliness about it.  There’s an infinite amount of inspiration, beauty and grit, swirling about to draw from!

It might be the BIG apple, but when you’ve done the circuit for a bit and start to see how small certain circles really are, it’s quite a cozy, comfy place to be writing, recording and performing music. And that street cred thing about making it in NYC is still something to shoot for.

– David Weiss

Music Seen: Music Supervisor Picks * The Bloody Beetroots’ “Butter”

Artist: The Bloody Beetroots

Song: “Butter“

Why I Luv It: The Bloody Beetroots were introduced to me by my good friends Jason and Sara over at Ultra International Music Publishing, the music publishing arm of the wildly successful [NYC-based] electronic label Ultra Records which is headed up by music industry mastermind Patrick Moxey. Talk about a power-house dynamic duo of entities backing an artist/group!

The Bloody Beetroots’ record label is Dim Mak, which is led by the visionary and multi-talented Steve Aoki. Between Aoki and Moxey, they’ve chosen and developed one helluva’ musical sonic-boom in The Bloody Beetroots.  And with a name like that, I’m not surprised.

My pick for this week is the booty-shakin’, fist-pumpin’ club/house banger “Butter” from The Bloody Beetroots 2009 album,  Romborama.

If I had to choose one word to describe their sound, it would have to be “uninhibited.” TBB just doesn’t hold back when they want to get a point across. Every song I hear seems to go a step further into the realm of electronic drama, aggression, tension, heaviness, and/or abrasiveness.

TBB’s sound is hard to classify in terms of pin-pointing a single genre, but it’s clear to me that the “roots” of industrial, metal, hard house, techno, big beat, and trance all played a role in formulating the TBB signature sound. From heavy metal electric guitars and epic string sections to mind-bending synth patterns and atom-bombastic bass kicks, The Bloody Beetroots are sure to rock the dance floor of any club, anywhere, anytime.

If you like MSTRKRFT, Justice, Chemical Brothers, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Boyz Noize, or Crookers, you’ll wanna’ give The Bloody Beetroots a few spins sometime soon. They’re legit.

Scene I Can See it In: Well this is a first here, BUT it won’t be the last time I profile a song or artist for the “Music Seen” blog that I’ve actually placed myself!!  Just wait, it gets even cooler.  You’re reading this blog entry before the song even goes to air, so consider yourself in the middle of an exclusive surprise sneak peak!! Lol…

The perfect place for the song “Butter” is exactly where we put it! It’s at the top of three launch campaign promos entitled “GTL is BACK” for The Jersey Shore Season 2 in South Beach Miami due to start airing on MTV on or just after the 2010 Fourth of July holiday weekend!

What better supporting soundtrack could there be for the intense party culture that only the likes of Mike “The Situation,” Snooki, Vinny, Jwoww, Ronnie, Sammy, and Angelina could fist pump to???!!!

Oh and guess what?  I couldn’t help but push for 2 other crrrrrrrazy Bloody Beetroots songs to make it in to this campaign as well!

Here’s how the songs play out in this edgy MTV Promotional campaign for Jersey Shore 2 directed and written by Evan Silver and Howard Grandison, edited by Andre Sosnowski, produced by Sean Linehan, music supervised by yours truly Dave Hnatiuk:

Cue “Butter” at 02:10 into the song where you hear a dramatic, heavy-pounding acoustic piano riff, which lasts for :05 as background music for large text-graphics reading “GTL is Back.” Right after that we cut to a video montage including footage of the JS-2 cast partying, dancing, fist-pumping, clubbing, arguing, etc.

This footage is supported musically by two other slammin’ Bloody Beetroots’ tracks in multiple versions of the same “GTL is Back” promo. The TBB songs that play out underneath this wild footage are “Cornelius” and “House No. 84.” Like “Butter,” both of these songs are from The Bloody Beetroots’ ’09 record, Romborama.

Keep it locked on MTV through this upcoming holiday weekend and beyond, so you don’t miss The Bloody Beetroots’ sonic onslaught supporting the launch of Jersey Shore 2…

Here’s to a fist pumpin’ booty shakin’ 2010 Fourth of July weekend ya’ll!  Have fun, be safe, and dance til dawn!!

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.

NYC’s G&E Music Scores “The McVeigh Tapes” for MSNBC

On April 19, MSNBC aired the two-hour special The McVeigh Tapes: Confessions of An American Terrorist, narrated by Rachel Maddow.

NYC’s G&E Music scored the special alongside its writer and producer, Toby Oppenheimer.

G&E composers Glenn Schloss and Erik Blicker faced the challenge of creating a score that would set a suitable mood for the chilling accounts of the Oklahoma City bombing, as told by McVeigh himself through never-before-heard audio interviews.

“We needed to set a tone that had an austerity to it without being creepy or sensational, or exploitative of the victims in any way,” informs Oppenheimer. Blicker describes, “It’s such an extremely dark story that, without music, would drag the viewer further down into that abyss. The music is there to help carry you through the story as it unfolds, set you in an almost equalized space — certainly not uplifting but not entirely ominous either.”

The team developed a musical palette for the project by creating “atmospheric tones that felt organic but also had momentum and groove,” and “finding interesting voices using reverbs and delays,” working with Ableton Live and Spectrasonics Omnisphere among other production tools. To supplement, G&E also pulled from their Producer’s Tool Box — an extensive collection of sound design elements and musical loops created for visual based productions — giving the producer and editors plenty to work with.

Schloss and Blicker had previously collaborated with Oppenheimer to score the HBO documentary The Nine Lives of Marion Barry last year.

G&E Music specializes in TV, radio, network re-branding, documentaries, feature films, websites, ringtones, and commercials through the use of collaborations with in-house composers, mixers and clients, including Discovery, MTV, Nickelodeon, ABC, CBS, VH1, Fox, Saatchi & Saatchi, Grey Advertising, Nokia and Pepsi. Check out G&E’s media division, Flavorlab.

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

MTV VMA’S: Inside ‘We Will Rock You’ Show Opener with Katy Perry and Joe Perry

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN: Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Green Day were on top of the world after their strong showing at last night’s 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), held at Radio City Music Hall.

But it wasn’t just the household names that got the most out of the awards show that’s become a New York City staple. Tony Verderosa, an international recording artist and founder of NYC’s Thwak! Music, was among the local pool of elite pros that had a big impact on the globally-viewed event.

Verderosa appeared in an explosive performance with Katy Perry and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, doubling as the live drummer and Music Director for the Perry/Perry collaboration, an unforgettable cover of Queen’s classic “We Will Rock You” that opened the show. A classically trained drummer, percussionist and electronic music pioneer with a deep artistic and commercial music portfolio, Verderosa talked about his experience playing at the 2009 MTV VMA’s:

Q: What’s your connection to this show? How and why did you get the call?
A: MTV was looking to hire a musical director to work with Katy Perry and Joe Perry. They wanted an iconic opening for the VMA’s this year. When I got the call from the Executive Producer, I suggested a live remix approach with massive sounding beats and vocals, triggered live from acoustic and electronic drums. He loved the idea, I got the green light and we jumped right into remix/pre-production work at Avatar, and then rehearsals.

Q: How did you approach meeting the needs of the show’s producers?
A: As Musical Director and Drummer, my job is to make sure the two featured artists are comfortable with the grooves and the arrangement. The producers also wanted to add some other elements, so I added percussionists to play timpani and concert bass drums on stage as well.

I was a good fit for this project, because I have experience performing live on stage with drums and samplers, creating live remixes, triggering vocals, keyboards and more. I am very comfortable taking the production values from the studio and adapting those to my live drum kit. There was lot of pre-production work in terms of creating the remix loops, pitching the key up slightly, adding some cool layers and grooves to blend in with the main loop from “We Will Rock You” — then mapping it all out on the kit and rehearsing everyone to create a tight arrangement.

Q: How did you decide what to equip yourself with technically for the show?
A: This is probably the most famous beat in the world, and we wanted to bring something new to the feel. To produce a remix in the studio and then play it live, I need a Drum Triggering Module and also a sampler. Fortunately, Yamaha has created a new drum module called the DTXreme 3. It has 500Mgb of Sample memory for my loops and vocals, and the triggering speed is insane. I have the whole show saved on a small thumb drive. Preproduction was done in Cubase 5.

Q: How is this song choice going to bring out the best of what you, Joe and Katy can do?
A: “We Will Rock You” is such a great showcase for Katy Perry and Joe Perry. Katy brings something special to this song with her phrasing and ideas: She gives 150% on every performance, and I would say her interpretation of this anthem is amazing.

We transitioned from her vocals right into Joe’s solo guitar section. It was a perfect space for Joe to move in creatively. He put his signature on this song with a very distinct and personal sound.  I triggered all of the beats, layers and vocal hooks live on stage, plus played acoustic drums on top. This was not a Pro Tools computer rig playing pre-recorded tracks back live, so we could extend the mix as needed. If Joe turned to me and wanted another 8 or 16 bars, we just went. It was a no-restrictions live remix.

Q: What does it mean to you to be playing with these two high-profile artists? How would you characterize their talents?
A: Katy is such an amazing singer….powerful – very confident – very individual style. She has become a household name and international superstar. Joe Perry has developed his own voice on the instrument: You just need to hear two or three notes and you know it’s Joe. His work with Aerosmith is groundbreaking. It was a huge thrill and a big honor to support such great artists on stage.

Q: How is this experience differing from other shows/productions you’ve been involved in?
A: There were estimates that 1.2 billion people worldwide would tune in live via TV, satellite, web, etc…The scale of this production was insane. MTV pulls out all of the stops. It really doesn’t get any bigger than the VMAs.

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