Local Kid at After Hour Studio with producer/mixer Rafa Sardina

The music of Local Kid (above) springs from a place where light and dark collide. LK is Larry Anderson ("Junior") - Vocals, Bass; Michael Amaya ("AmayA") - Vocals, Guitar, Drums, Bass; Damon Byers ("Shopan") - Vocals, Guitar.

After many months of rehearsing, writing and recording at After Hours studio with mixer/producer Rafa Sardina (Stevie Wonder, Shakira) it's time to share their work with the world.

The kids weave their stories with mythical images seen on their Tshirts, band posters. These mystical creatures take you to a magical world beyond the everyday. Expect the same ride with LK music that offers melodic and textured arrangements backed by colorful lyrics and chorus lines.

Local Kid's influences span from Linkin Park and N.E.R.D to a
mix of classical and jazz artists. The music is packed with emotion and energy, with messages of hope. Watch these video and get the inside scoop on the recent sessions at After Hours

Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter and record producer Raphael Saadiq has announced the release of his fifth studio album Stone Rollin’ on March 22, 2011 on Columbia Records. Sadique's “old school” R&B returns with a new release that celebrates the classic sounds of 60’s and 70’s soul with a futuristic twist. Raphael debuted the video for the track “Radio” The song is available on iTunes.

Stone Rollin -- Columbia -- March 22

Featuring ten new tracks, Stone Rollin’ is the follow up to
Saadiq’s 2008 solo album The Way I See It, which boasted four Billboard R&B chart singles and was nominated for three GRAMMY Awards including Best R&B Album. With the release
of The Way I See It, Raphael Saadiq truly made his mark as a touring artist, striking a universal chord with audiences around the world through multiple performances at festival dates throughout Europe and the States — including Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, SXSW – as well as a recent opening slot on the Dave Matthews Band’s amphitheater tour. Now with his new collection Stone Rollin’, Saadiq nods to his heroes like Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, and Sly Stone, while merging his own contemporary twist. The end result is a collection that showcases Saadiq’s gifted musicality and the stellar production skills that have become the artist’s signature.

Jazz vocal sensation Kat Edmonson will be tracked and mixed by the METAlliance founding directors "In Session with The Guys," February 19-20, 2011 in NYC at famed Avatar Studios. Edmonson has been described as "equal parts Billie Holiday and Bjork" in All About Jazz. "Kat is a tremendous talent -- the best new jazz singer I've heard in years." says Grammy-winning engineer Al Schmitt, who mixed Edmonson's first album. "Kat is definitely a rising star in jazz, with a style and charm that reaches fans in the worlds of blues, rock, pop, and beyond. We'll be recording tracks for her new album, so this is a unique chance to see a true artist making great music in the studio."

From Austin, Texas, she been called, "memorable and contagious" by NPR and "the most promising American jazz singer to come along since Cassandra Wilson" by The Boston Globe.

Sean Beavan (Paper Dolls, 8MM) is mixing the seminally influential MORBID ANGEL's album after producing some vocals with the almighty David Vincent (right with Beavan) at his exclusive Blue Room Studios in Los Angeles. Another Beavan artist, 8mm performed this week (1/27) at The Mint. (High Voltage tour).

Le Mobile Your Music
With so many music festivals, artists want to take the performance to their fans almost instantaneously.
The good news: Technology has opened more options at lower budgets. But without expertise and trained ears, a low-budget recording can become a “fix-it-later” nightmare. Award winning Le Mobil offers different technology packages that spells quality plus economy. Call today 760/734-4100 for a quote on the Le Mobile recording system scaled to your next project. Legendary solo artists recorded by Le Mobile include Gwen Stefani, Faith Hill, Eric Clapton, Christina Aguilera, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli, Kenny Chesney, Roger Waters, Van Morrison and Sting, to name a few.

Gregg Allman's Low Country Blues album marks his first solo album in more than 14 years. The Collection of 11 classic blues songs (plus one original) was produced by T Bone Burnett and features a stellar cast of musicians, including Dr. John on piano, Jay Bellerose on drums, Dennis Crouch on bass, Doyle Brahmall II and Colin Linden on guitars, and Allman himself on B3 organ and guitar. According to Burnett, recorded last year at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, the tracking came fast and furious.
"Kicking off with an ominous take on Sleepy John Estes’ “Floating Bridge.” From there, the album covers the blues’ varied emotional terrain, from exuberant showstoppers like Little Milton’s “Blind Man” and the album’s one original composition, the swaggering “Just Another Rider” (co-written with longtime Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes), to Skip James’ haunted “Devil Got My Woman” and the weary but unbowed traditional, “Rolling Stone.” Available at Amazon and iTunes and and at all retail locations where music is sold - including Starbucks.

The beginning. Two 10-year old kids started writing and performing music in the suburbs of Boston, MA - their way to express joy and frustration of their generation while entertaining family and friends. Fast forward in the winter of 2009, Junior and AmayA welcomed Shopan - a vocalist already known in Los Angeles. The resulting collaboration caught the attention of industry veteran 11-time Grammy winning producer Rafa Sardina and an aggressive new label, Ram Jet Records.

Raphael Sadique says of the recording “Both the attraction and reaction to my music from my listeners has giving me all that I need to continue pushing the envelope and making music that wakes and rocks the soul of many, Its Ready, I’m Ready, and I know the world is Ready, Lets all go Stone Rollin.”

Recorded at his studio complex the Blakeslee Recording Company in Los Angeles, Raphael Saadiq played bass, mellotron, keys, guitar, percussion and even drums on most of the tracks. Opening with the stomping “Heart Attack,” the album’s other standout cuts include the stunning “Go To Hell,” featuring his studio squad of musicians who are melodically complimented by an angelic choir, the evocative Dixieland number “Day Dreams,” featuring Robert Randolph who plays steel guitar on the track, and “Just Don’t,” which includes a guest appearance from one of Saadiq’s indie rock favorites Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano (Little Dragon). Also making an appearance on that same song is one of Saadiq’s idols Larry Dunn (Earth, Wind and Fire), who plays piano and contributes an epic Moog solo.

"In Session with The Guys" attendees will participate and interact with the METAlliance founders in live recording and mixing sessions with Edmonson.

Gregg Allman Band
Low Country Blues, is out on
Rounder Records
Producer: TBone Burnett
Village Studios

10-time Grammy winner Burnett will be honored by Grammy Producers and Engineers wing at a Gala reception at the Village Studios early February.

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Watch Video Interviews with Top producers from Legendary Studios
studioexpresso in alliance with Record Production & Babblefish is pleased to bring you these interviews. Watch the video interviews by clicking on the producer names below.
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Matt Wallace Interviewed At his Delux Studios in LA for Record Production
L-R: Producer Matt Wallace, studioexpresso's Claris Dodge
Photo: Johnny Jaskot

Ken Allardyce - Sarm West, UK
Lenise Bent - Village Studios. LA, CA
Niko Bolas - Watersound Studios, Studio CIty, CA
Pete Byrne - Glenwood Place, CA
Andre Fischer - Village Studios, Los Angels, CA
Chris Fogel - Fig, Glendale, CA
Brad Gilderman - Little Big Room, Burbank, CA
Greg Ladanyi - Maple Jam Productions, Studio City, CA
Joseph Magee - O'Henry Studios, Burbank, CA
Scott Mathews - Tiki Town Studios
Oscar Paul - Roundhouse Studios, London
Greg Penny - Sphere Studios, London
Steve Parr - Hear No Evil Studios
Michael C Ross - Royaltone Studios, North Hollywood, CA
Rafa Sardina - Abbey Road, UK
Elliot Scheiner - Presense studios, CT
Al Schmitt Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA
Toby Scott -- coming soon!
Robert Shahnazarian Jr.-- Sony Music Studios, Santa Monica
Tolbert & Sutton - Studio Atlantis, Hollywood, CA
Matt Wallace - Delux Studios, Van Nuys, CA
John Wooler - Village Studios, Los Angels, CA

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Expresso Walk And Talk...

Are You With Me? These PSAs currently play on Bon Jovis tour, and feature the rocker calling on Americans to take action and volunteer for something they believe in. US President's national recovery and renewal plan may be catching. It's no secret that getting involved in causes is empowering, but when you have the free world's leader spearheading the initiative, it has the potential to become a movement. According Nicky Goren, the acting CEO for the Corporation of National and Community Service, you can share your story by posting a video response or by visiting www.Serve.gov/

As Sundance Festival is wrapping up, SWSW Music, Film, Interactive is in gear in Austin, Texas-- March 11-20 -- New media presentations, music showcases (3/16-20)and film screenings provide buzz-generating exposure for creators and compelling entertainment for audiences. The Main Line Up? Rumor has it that New York rockers
The Strokes might be there. The band plans to release their new, as-yet-untitled album on March 22 and part of the Coachella line up.

Coachella Music and Art Festival 2011 --April 15-17 at Indio, California is sold out just 7 days after the official lineup was announced. A record for the Southland music festival. Promoter Goldenvoice Headliners include Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, The Strokes, The Black Keys, Lauryn Hill, Robyn and Cee Lo Green. The 3-day musicfest will also feature Erick Morillo, PJ Harvey, Jimmy Eat World, Mumford & sons, Empire of the Sun, and Erykah Badu. The promoters even managed to resurrect 80’s British band Duran Duran to highlight its last day of events. Rye Rye alone is wroth braving the heat. The 19-year-old rapper from Baltimore is set to light the underground on fire with her about-to-drop debut album Go! Pop! Bang!, and her blend of street-savvy rhymes and international flavor (inspired in part by label boss M.I.A.) should make for an early party on Sunday afternoon.

High Voltage UK July 23-24 2011 Jethro Tull, Judas Priest...get the picture high voltage bands?! Victoria Park is less than 30 minutes from any of London’s main rail stations, so whichever part of the world you are coming from there is a quick and easy route to this lovely part of London.

Hot Zone Presenters at Winter NAMM l-r: Peter Schwartz, Maddie Madsen, Amin Bhatia, Michelle Moog-Koussa and Dave Gross; studioexpresso Rock Record & Roll with
l-r: Brad Lunde, Dean Serwin, Brian Malouf, Simon Phillips, Rafa Sardina, Brent Fischer and Claris Sayadian-Dodge

The Hot Zone at NAMM covered over 80 sessions in six rooms during the NAMM show. studioexpresso presented "ROCK, RECORD & ROLL," with a panel of audio professionals who discussed label-friendly production trends. Panelists included: Brent Fischer, Simon Phillips of Phantom Recordings, Brad Lunde founded TransAudio Group, Brian Malouf (Everclear, Michael Franti, and Dave Matthews Band) of Cookie Jar , Rafa Sardina (Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Dr. Dre, Luis Miguel, Beyonce) of Afterhours and attorny Dean Serwin. The session was moderated by Claris Sayadian-Dodge founded studioexpresso.com. Award-winning photographer, music journalist and author Mr. Bonzai moderated"MUSIC SMARTS" in the Hot Zone at Winter NAMM. Panelists included: Def Leppard guitar legend Phil Collen; producer CJ Vanston (Tina Turner, Prince, Christopher Guest films); pop singer/songwriter Kristina Helene; record label CEO Scott Austin; folk rocker Justine Bennett; and producer KamranV (Nine Inch Nails, Beck, Spaceland Recordings). Glow Marketing’s owner Chandra Lynn lead a lively discussion on what it takes to succeed in today’s “attention economy”, and deliver effective marketing strategies from two of the industry’s most brilliant minds, Richard McDonald, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Fender Brands and Timothy Self, SVP Sales & Marketing of Propellerhead Software. Organizer David Schwartz says the event drew a good crowd and the stronger next year.

Tec Awards at NAMM 2011 honors Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac

Buckingham Receives Les Paul Award This year, the 26th Annual TEC Awards gala was held Friday evening at the Hilton Anaheim as a special event of the 2011 NAMM show. In addition to 25 awards for Technical and Creative Achievement, the prestigious Les Paul Award was given to famed guitarist, composer and producer Lindsey Buckingham. Lindsey said sometimes large music projects are like big films. They take so much time and energy but often it's the smaller projects where the artist has more control that are most rewarding. He also talked about his career manifesting as sum of many decisions he made and he graciously accepted the award saying, when peers recognize you, you realize that you must have made the right decisions. The award is given annually to a musician or recording professional whose work has epitomized the marriage of music and technology. Renowned producer Ken Caillat and engineer Elliot Scheiner presented the award, which was introduced by TEC Hall of Fame engineer Al Schmitt. Also highlighting the evening were musical performances featuring Ambrosia’s David Pack, guitar legend Larry Carlton, Dixie Dregs’ Steve Morse, Night Ranger’s Jeff Watson, Pablo Cruise’s David Jenkins, keyboardist Jimmy Nichols, Public Enemy bandleader Brian Hardgroove, and other veteran vocalists and session musicians.View the complete list of 26th Annual TEC Awards winners. Buckingham later donated a Rick Turner Renaissance M1 Guitar for the Tec Award Acution. Donate to Tec Foundation here

Sims New Digital VP at AEG. Veteran digital media executive Todd Sims has joined AEG in the newly created capacity of Senior Vice President Digital, it was announced by Sean Dee, Chief Marketing Officer, AEG. Sims' initial focus will be to centralize and manage the digital assets across more than 50 of AEG's divisions and companies worldwide while developing a strategic digital plan for the organization. Sims, who will report directly to Dee, will align this new digital initiative with two other important and related AEG initiatives u2013 a new ticketing platform and the launch of a new television network. Additionally, he will work closely with the organization's music division to create new online and mobile consumer experiences around core AEG assets such as festivals, exhibitions, tours and special events.With over 15 years of experience building successful Internet companies, Sims began his career at Starwave, which was later sold to Disney, where he served as the executive producer for ESPN.com overseeing NFL.com, NBA.com and NASCAR Online businesses, products and relationships. "AEG has an incredible foundation u2013 amazing assets, large and passionate audiences and an existing relationship with some of the biggest brands in the world," said Sims. "I'm thrilled to be a part of the effort to make AEG a leader in this space," says Sims. $1billion downtown LA stadium Pitch. The Los Angeles City Council agreed last week to study a proposal by AEG Worldwide to build a privately financed NFL stadium in the city's downtown. The council moved to create a formal working group and start an independent financial study of the proposal from AEG Chairman Philip Anschutz, which calls for a $1 billion, 64,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof in the city, the Los Angeles Times reported. AEG President Tim Leiweke told council members the stadium, to be located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center, could be home to two NFL teams -- though the city now has none -- and would be expandable to 78,000 seats to host a Super Bowl or an NCAA Final Four. The company is asking the city for $350 million in bonding authority, which would be repaid with a seat tax, much as is the case with AEG's Staples Center. Leiweke wouldn't say which NFL teams he had been trying to lure, but the San Diego Chargers and Minnesota Vikings are thought to be the leading candidates to become tenants.

Acoustic Series In Thousnd Oaks at Four Friends Gallery
This month Four Friends Gallery Acoustic Series presented I See Hawks In L.A. where you can expect to enjoy music surrounded by art, fine photography, artifacts, paintings, lithographs, sculptures, and Tibetan doors. ISHILA first gathered on the front porch in Echo Park with beers, wrote their first batch of songs and then sought advice from local country rock guru David Jackson, bassist with John Denver, Dillard and Clark, and EmmyLou Harris. Jackson set up a few mics and recorded brothers Rob and Paul, adding his own melodic bass lines. This demo turned into featured songs on the Hawks eponymous debut, featuring legendary fiddler Brantley Kearns (Dwight Yoakam, Dave Alvin, Hazel Dickens). The CD established the Hawks signature sound: high lonesome three part harmonies, twang guitar and unadorned acoustic arrangements, with lyrics musing on mortality, whales, and the geography of pre-apocalyptic LA ISHILA who have been requested openers for Lucinda Williams and Dave Alvin received rave reviews, and made the F.A.R. Alternative Country Chart, and continues to get regular airplay. The songs are rife with mournful social commentary, environmental tragedy, wily humor, outsider guile, and political undercurrent.
Four Friends Gallery and Hall 1408 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

If I had to sum up the buzz at Sundance this year in a single sentence, it would be this: Independent film is back. This year’s tasty, vibrant selection of films makes it clear, I think, that festival director, John Cooper and programmer Trevor Groth have re-energized the festival, heightening its quality and organizing the movies with a tempting new shape and vision. They have made a difference in the way that a lot of people (including the highbrow snarkers who like to dismiss Sundance as a commodification of art) regard the possibilities of American independent film. Take Life In A Day --a product of the technological revolution that Koyaanisqatsi prophesized and celebrated years before it. It feels so much less technological and abstract. 80,000 video submissions from around the world via YouTube at Sundance -- all short films shot on July 24, 2010 and often produced on laptops. The video diaries provide a time capsule and offer a reality window into lives of ordinary citizens from Russia, Africa, Dubai, Europe.... Imagine editing 4,500 videos from a wide range of people in 192 countries: young filmmakers looking for a break, and individuals and families who simply had a story to tell. Life In a Day" was a project conceived by YouTube and carried out by Scott Free Productions, the movie and TV company run by acclaimed directors Ridley and Tony Scott. It was directed by Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald from a concept conceived by YouTube and film producer Liza Marshall. The idea was simple, yet in its execution very complex. The idea: ask YouTube users to videotape one full-day in their lives, July 24, 2010, and send in the video. The execution: from the footage, pull together a 90-minute movie which will be released by National Geographic in theaters on July 24 — exactly one year after the film's footage was shot. The message of the movie -- Near the end, a young woman sits in her car, in the middle of a rainstorm, and talks about how she wanted to film something great for the project, but alas, nothing great happened that day!. Her words become transcendent when you realize that she has just articulated the key to the movie and maybe even the secret of life: that every day just is. And that’s enough.

SESAC artist Mieka Pauley will have her innovative music in the upcoming Bruce Beresford-directed movie Peace, Love & Misunderstanding. The movie which stars Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Kyle MacLachlan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, will include Pauley's "Devil's Got My Secret" in a pivotal four-minute scene

The Internet Rock Stars Among San Francisco Bay Area's trendsetters, Rdio is definitely rising fast since it launched in August, 2010. All in all, it looks like Rdio is going to make a serious play in online music. Last week Rdio, the online music-streaming service launched two years ago, announced it would be adding 1.75 million new tracks from independent bands courtesy of a deal it had struck with Merlin Network, a nonprofit organization that polices and negotiates for the rights of indie bands. As anyone who follows music knows, indie bands are no longer marginal players, and adding acts such as album-rock sensations Arcade Fire to its playlist gives Rdio a big boost. Rdio was envisioned and launched by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, who had founded Skype, formerly an EBay (EBAY) subsidiary. The duo hit a home run with Skype but have logged notable failures in peer-to-peer music service KaZaa (which was ultimately shut down after music labels accused it of fostering piracy) and Joost, an ill-fated online TV and video content startup that has lagged behind Google's (GOOG) YouTube, Netflix (NFLX) and big broadcaster-owned Hulu. Sponsored Links However, a confluence of trends should give Rdio a nifty lift. Wireless broadband has gotten much faster, enabling easier and higher-quality music streaming to handsets or vehicles (cars are the Holy Grail for online music ventures since so much music gets consumed on the road). Equally important, wireless broadband is scheduled to get much faster with the rollout of a next-generation of wireless technology called LTE (for Long-Term Evolution). Naturally, Rdio is positioned to benefit from paths already cleared by Apple's iTunes store and by Pandora. Collectively, this dominating duo has breathed life into the formerly moribund online music market, and both are turning into nice profit centers. All of these are merely precursors to success, of course. Zennstrom and Friis will get loads of free press and good will because -- let's face it -- they're Internet rock stars. That will help online radio become commonplace. Users pay about $10 per month and can access any of the hundreds of thousands of available songs at any time. The service is easy to use, and I really like it. I think it's going to be one of the next really big Internet business hits. And it emphasizes something I liked about Apple's Lala which shut down -- the ability to discover new music by following people who seem to have interesting taste or by following curated music collections. Tune in for a rocket ride up the charts with this startup.

Farewell "The Man With the Golden Ear"
Don Kirshner died in Boca Raton, Fla., on Monday. He was 76. The songwriter and rock producer experienced early success as a co-founder of Aldon Music, located in New York City's legendary Brill Building, where he published hits by songwriters including Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Aldon Music was bought from Columbia Records for four and a half million dollars. Later in his career, Kirshner hosted the "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" TV program, which gained notoriety for its live performances by such performers as the Allman Brothers, David Bowie and many other stars. In 1966, Kirshner helped the Monkees and their television show achieve national recognition with such hits as "I'm a Believer."
He is survived by his wife, Sheila; his children Ricky and Daryn; and five grandchildren


artist expresso-- Ask Claris


We hear from artists every day from all corners of the world -- France, Germany, Russian, Israel, Asia, Australia and Middle East asking how they can get heard or build their careers. We've decided to feature a letter or phone message each month and share our response with other new artists with similar needs or questions. Our goal remains to empower new artists and encourage them to find their voice and musical path. Most importantly, we're here to remind artists that it's a long journey, so enjoy the process. We encourage artists to provide a link to their music site when they contact us..this way, if a producer or manager is interested, they can be contacted directly.visit production talent at studioexpresso We can recommend someone who fits your requirements or you may send your top 3 choice(s). Thanks.

studioexpresso Pick -- PetroArt. Art is all around us and sometimes, like music it's free to look or hear. Here's work of a new artist (mathematician by day and musician by night) called Petro who posted his art on his facebook page to capture your imagination. Could be murals or album covers. What do you think? Send serious inquiries or comments here

Picture Perfect Sonic Boom --Did you know that rapid condensation of water vapor due to a sonic shock produced at sub-sonic speed creates a vapor cone (known as a Prandtl–Glauert singularity), which can be seen with the naked eye. watch it here!

EXPRESS YOURSELF!


l-r: Enjoy Sam Jones Photographs (scroll down and click on images) to Dylan song "Love Minus Zero"; Courtesy of Capitol Studios Archive.

Until next month...thanks for the read and for contributing!

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