TALENTfilter ARTIST UPDATE!

Unsigned/unpublished singer-songwriter Brendan James has his recently-recorded self-titled debut EP featured in the 'What's Hot" section (on the FRONT PAGE) of the U.S. iTunes Store. Seriously. This guy's the next (better-looking, less-irritating) James Blunt.

The story has it that he was signed by Dan MacCarroll and Andy Slater at Capitol in 2005, recorded a record that he (Brendan) wasn't completely happy with, some back & forth went on, Capitol merged with Virgin, Jason Flom released him from the deal, he took the buy-out money and recorded a brilliant set of songs with Mikal Blue and there's a whole new buzz building around him. This is just what we hear. What do we know.
New York label weasels can check him out August 2nd at the Living Room. L.A. weasels have to wait till August 23rd at the Hotel Cafe.
Unsigned/unpublished singer/songwriter Meiko has had a busy few weeks -- the glowing review by our blogger-in-arms Perez Hilton sent her MySpace plays up over 50,000 per day last week. Her most recent gig at the Hotel Cafe sold out, Yahoo! Music has placed two of her songs into HEAVY rotation on three of their LAUNCHcast Radio stations, and SIRIUS Satellite Radio has officially added "Piano Song" into regular rotation on their tastemaker "Left Of Center" station. Meiko will play at the Living Room in NY on August 5th and at Mo Pitkin's on August 6th, followed by a KCRW-sponsored August residency at the Hotel Cafe in L.A. every Wednesday of the month.
A Fine Frenzy, signed to Virgin, has reportedly garnered a publishing deal with Warner Chappell. The group, featuring singer/songwriter Alison Sudol, is on the road with Rufus Wainwright and Sean Lennon in support of the debut album, One Cell In the Sea.
L.A.-based RAWKERS Five Finger Death Punch, first tipped in February and soon thereafter scooped up by The Firm for management AND label duties, just released their debut album, The Way Of The Fist. The band will embark on a 20-date "Family Values" trek across the U.S. on August 3rd. Their album-release show at the Roxy in L.A. was SICK -- metalheads young and old will dig these guys. TALENTfilter holds the horns high for FFDP! (**UPDATE: According to StreetPulse, The Way Of The Fist is the #1 Active Rock Sales Debut this week)
Andrew Paul Woodworth, who recently licensed his latest Eddy Ate Dynamite LP to European indie label RodeoStar, has been in talks with several Stateside labels about releasing the album on this side of the Atlantic. The singer, who was once tipped by legendary Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones as being, "...the best lyricist I have ever worked with", has also been approached by publishing companies in Europe, the UK and in the U.S. Not familiar with his music? Check the MySpace page. Live in L.A.? Catch him live at the Mint on Aug.25. Woodworth is currently seeking management as well. Congrats are also in order for Andrew -- he's getting married this weekend!

CITY OF L.A. SUPPORTS LOCAL ARTISTS VIA ...ON-HOLD MUSIC? Saw this on www.thedailyswarm.com -- kinda random, but kinda cool!

"City of Los Angeles will launch annual collection of new songs to showcase local music for callers while they are on hold on City phones. The new program is called HEAR IN LA. The Department of Cultural Affairs is looking for 10–12 unsigned local acts per year, in diverse genres of music (rock, latin, pop, rap, jazz, r&b, electronic/dance, instrumental…).

They will pay individuals/ensembles $500 each, for permission to play one original composition as hold music on City of LA phones for 12 months. In order to cross-promote the selected musical talent, artist headshots and biographies will be posted on the City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) website, www.culturela.org. Program launches each September.

Send disc, play list and notes of introductions to: City of Los Angeles, Dept. of Cultural Affairs Community Advancement Manager, Grants Section, 201 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1400 LA, CA 90012"

UPCOMING NY/LA SHOWS OF NOTE:

July 26 - Meiko - Hotel Cafe (LA)
Aug 2 - Brendan James - Living Room (NY)
Aug 2 - Blair - Hotel Cafe (LA)
Aug 4 - Essie Jain - Genghis Cohen (LA)
Aug 5 - Various Artists - Living Room (NY)
Aug 6 - Various Artists - Mo Pitkin's (NY)
Aug 6 - Tyrone Wells - Knitting Factory (NY)
Aug 6 - Mighty Six Ninety - Viper Room (LA)
Aug 8 - Ingrid Michaelson - Mercury Lounge (NY)
Aug 11 - Castledoor - Spaceland (LA)
Aug 12 - Barcelona - Knitting Factory (LA)
Aug 14 - Ingrid Michaelson w/Magic Numbers – El Rey (LA)
Aug 15 - Dena Deadly - Knitting Factory (LA)
Aug 19 - Colorforms - Viper Room (LA)
Aug 21 – The Go – Knitting Factory (LA)

(* This list is quite chick-heavy -- if anyone has some good RAWWWK tips, please E-mail them to TALENTfilter@gmail.com *)

PORTLAND OREGON SUPPORTS LOCAL MUSIC – Got an E-mail blast from tastemaker Alt-outlet KNRK (94/7) Portland, OR and it mentioned that their HD Radio sister station, “94/7 Too – Independent Radio”, will play nothing but bands from the Northwest.

From the E-mail, “Yes, you will need an HD Radio to listen on a regular basis, but for now, you can stream 94/7 Too by clicking on the ‘Listen Live’ button in the middle of the homepage at 947.fm”

Before you get your panties in a tizzy thinking that they’re just dumping all local music onto an HD graveyard that no one can hear, KNRK has always supported local unsigned bands and will continue to do so on the main station. Kudos to them.

RILO KILEY FANS SLAG NEW VIDEO -- Oof -- Looks like fans of Rilo Kiley don't dig the video for their new song "The Moneymaker" -- Check out the pages and pages of negative comments. Too bad, really. We like THEM (...ahem...we initially had this post written to sound as if Rilo Kiley was a 'she' and not a 'they' -- the band's "forum moderator" was quick to correct)...
The Moneymaker

SIGNINGS, ETC. -- HITS Magazine reports that RCA will upstream the forthcoming album from Immortal Records' Scary Kids Scaring Kids (once sales reach a certain point)... Soulsavers, signed to V2 in Europe, Japan and Australia, have been picked up by Columbia in the U.S. Mark Lanegan sings on 8 of the 11 tracks featured on the new album titled It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land (HOT!)... The Signing Power blog informs us that The Parlor Mob, recently dropped by Capitol, will release their record through Roadrunner/In De Goot (In De Goot is the band's management company which also has an imprint through Roadrunner)... Finally, we hear that NYC-based band Vampire Weekend has signed with the UK XL imprint Abeano Music...

WE JUS' THREW UP IN OUR MOUTHS A LIL BIT -- Our friends at Hypebot report that the Southeastern U.S.-based fast food chain Krystal (known for their...ahem...'unique' breakfast food like the "Scrambler," a mixture of eggs, sausage, pancakes and grits) has partnered up with the Universal Music Group to offer two free downloads with the purchase of their new "Chik'N Stik'Ns". Yyyyyyyeah. THAT'S what it's come to, people.

WALTER MEEGO SIGNS MULTI-ALBUM DEAL -- My Old Kentucky Blog (one of our faves) reports that Walter Meego has entered into a multi-album agreement with uber-credible pseudo-indie Almost Gold Recordings. Almost Gold is a subsidiary/incubator/farm-team/whateverthehell the term is this week -- of Columbia Records. They've also got the rights to Peter, Bjorn & John and Calvin Harris records in the U.S. Walter Meego is a great signing. A little bit left-of-the-curve right now, but we think there'll be a walk on the more-mainstream side of things very soon.

GAVIN CASTLETON (unsigned, unpublished) -- Wow. Lotsa talent here. Gavin Castleton is one of the more interesting artists we've come across in a while. Hailing from just north of Providence, RI, Gavin is the keyboardist and 1/2 vocalist for regional faves Gruvis Malt. It's his solo stuff and his production skills, however, that have won us over. What's he sound like? Think Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing) / Atmosphere / Sage Francis -- then you'll have an idea of what's up.

Here's what's particularly interesting about Gavin's work: His most recent EP, Hospital Hymns, is a five song narrative which chronicles a day of deliveries for an eccentric 76 year-old stockroom worker in a Rhode Island hospital. Random, right? Check out "Hymn 2: Women's Care" on his MySpace page. Just awesome.

The album prior to the Hospital Hymns EP, 2006's Grace Land, features lyrics transcribed from interviews with a Staples Office Supply Superstore worker. Like...wha??? Check out the song called "The Wedding" (also onthe MySpace page). Sick.

While Gavin isn't the best vocalist in the world, honestly, his material certainly warrants some serious attention. Gavin's new album, For The Love Of Pete, is, "a collection of songs inspired by and written for the dame that made his heart twitter from 2000-2007." We've heard some songs. Tasty.

MORE NEW ARTISTS ADDED TO CLEAR CHANNEL "UNDISCOVERED" HD RADIO STATION -- The following acts have new music being officially being added into rotation on Clear Channel's "Undiscovered" HD Radio station: A. M. Pacific, AM, Angie Mattson, Benji Hughes, Brendan James, C-Mon & Kypski, Castledoor, Chamber Flow, Chapter 11, David Hillman, Dena Deadly, Gavin Castleton, The House Harkonnen, Jessica Owen, Jessie Baylin, The Lab Rats, Leeroy Stagger, Meiko, The Mother Truckers, Simon Lynge.

To stream the "Undiscovered" station, click HERE