UPCOMING L.A. SHOWS OF NOTE

Feb 7 -- Meiko -- Hotel Cafe
Feb 7 -- Troy This -- Viper Room
Feb 18 -- Colorforms -- Viper Room
Feb 19 -- Meiko, Stacy Clark -- Hotel Cafe

KROQ LOS ANGELES ADDS UNSIGNED BAND INTO REGULAR ROTATION -- This past week, Alternative KROQ Los Angeles officially added The Airborne Toxic Event's "Sometime Around Midnight" into regular rotation. Quite a feat considering that regular rotation slots are few and far between on the musically conservative station and they're almost always reserved for major label priority artists. This song is fantastic, and we're very excited for the band! Check it out on their MySpace page. Expect maximum weaseltude at their Spaceland show Thursday night, January 31st. they're unsigned and unpublished, booked by Paradigm.

JOHNNY LLOYD ROLLINS (unsigned, unpublished) -- TALENTfilter is up in Park City Utah doing some 'Sundancing' -- and we're SO psyched to have seen Dallas' Johnny Lloyd Rollins perform with his band, The All Nighters (arguably Dallas' best musicians). This was SERIOUSLY A+ stuff.

Imagine a young, super-good-looking guitarist/frontman with a voice that's a melding of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Paul McCartney, and ...erm...that dude from Train. Backed up by the BEST Led Zeppelin cover band you've ever heard in your life. We mean that in the most overly-complimentary of ways.

Johnny's album, Let's Get Poor Together, features some really well-written songs with multi-format radio potential (and by that we mean AAA, Hot and Modern A/C, Top 40, and even Country)...

So let's see: Great band with great songs, good-looking singer, fantastic live show and more radio-friendly than half the crap currently being serviced to radio (have you looked at FMQB's "Available For Airplay" list lately? Who the hell is SIGNING this garbage??)

We heard a new star last night and his name is Johnny Lloyd Rollins. This guy will be signed before the Summer. Get on it.

(If you're still at Sundance, he's doing a show today [1/26] at the Star Bar on Main Street at 4:30)

Q+A W/5FDP -- We had a chance to catch up with one of our favorite bands we'd tipped you to in the past -- Five Finger Death Punch. ...Alright, who are we kidding -- we didn't catch up with them -- the band's PR people forwarded our questions on to them. Still, though, they were cool enough to answer them, so here's where we do the ol' cuttin' an' pastin':

When we came across your album in early '07, you guys were pretty much living in the DIY world. As we watch more and more bands decide to NOT renew their contracts with their respective record labels, what was appealing to you guys about potentially singing to a label?

I cant really speak for other bands choosing not to renew. I can tell you that we choose to sign with The Firm because of who they are and how truly excited they were to work 'with' us. We are extremely fortunate to have a unique relationship with The Firm that you really wont find elsewhere.

What, specifically, about The Firm was the most appealing to you?

For me personally, it was not only their reputation but the energy and excitement they presented to us from day one.

Some say that having a label also acting as your manager is a conflict of interest. No checks & balances, etc. Why were you OK with entering into an arrangement like this with The Firm?

'Some' say things all the time. I think what's important to understand is that if you enter the conversation with concerns of 'checks and balances', you're in a negative arena mentally. I think its crucial to work with people and share a mutual respect. We work together with Label and Management. It's in everyone's best interest to work towards the same goal and in doing so, we help each other instead of fighting for power.

What are some of the things The Firm has done for you so far in your relationship that impress you?

I am most impressed by their commitment to 5FDP. They are an extremely talented group of people who do everything they say they will and more. The door is always open and we have the ability to converse (about) any topic 24/7. I really couldn't have asked for more in Label/Management.

While the TALENTfilter blog is read mainly by music business executives, we do have some aspiring artists as regular readers. What kind of advice could you give them regarding what to look for or what to watch out for when being approached by a record label?

Well, do your homework first. It is imperative that if given choices for labels, you deal with the correct label for your project. I have seen a lot of artists going for the biggest bang when what you really need is a group who truly understands your genre and is the "right fit" for what you trying to achieve.
Are you still available for publishing? If so, what are you looking for in a potential publisher?

I can't comment on that at this time.

Tell us briefly what lies ahead for 5FDP in 2008.

2008 will be a huge year for 5FDP. We're doing some new videos, and writing some new material. We're so excited to be touring again this summer -- it's like a race horse waiting for the gate to open. We have such an amazing fan base (the KNUCKLEHEADS) who make the shows truly amazing. It's what FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is all about. True metal, amazing energy, solid shows and as corny as it sounds, GOOD TIMES!!!

STACY CLARK (unsigned, unpublished) -- Take Björk, Dolores O'Riordan, Imogen Heap and Lisa Loeb, stick 'em all on a deserted island, "Lost"-style, with the two dudes from The Postal Service and maybe the kids from OneRepublic or The Fray, let 'em all run around naked, singing and writing, writing and singing, and the sonic outcome would probably sound similar to the music heard on Stacy Clark's debut full-length Apples & Oranges. This Buffalo, NY native, now residing in Orange County, CA, is gearing up for a spring/summer West coast tour, and we wanted to make sure you're aware of her material. Really great stuff -- super-syncable, catchy as hell. Check her MySpace page for a couple of songs, but pick up her album from iTunes as well -- there are some gems on there, fer realzies. You can catch Stacy on our HunnyPot friends' radio show (www.hunnypotunlimited.com) on Jan. 28, and if you live in SoCal, she'll perform at the Hotel Cafe on Jan. 31.

LIONEL NEYKOV (unsigned, unpublished) -- Fans of David Gray, Damien Rice and even Paolo Nutini will immediately gravitate toward NYC-based singer/songwriter Lionel Neykov. His recently completed full-length called Songs Of Want And Loss is quite great. Looks as if he's doing all the right things to help create awareness of the material this early in the game, especially sans record label. Peep his MySpace page for a couple of homemade 'me & my guitar' videos, and be sure to listen to "Hey Ruth" and "I Want You". The album is now available through iTunes and CDBaby. Bottom line is this: Lionel has the potential to be a song-licensing ANIMAL. He's worth signing based on that alone. 'Nuff said.

AUSHUA (unsigned, unpublished) -- We've been fans of Orange County's Aushua since seeing them live back in the Fall of last year. Figured it's time we hip you to their hipness. They're working on a new EP right now and will tentatively showcase at SXSW in March with a tour to follow in the Summer. Labels and publishers should reach out, shake hands, and play nice with these guys NOW, before every other industry douche jumps into the ring. They're managed by the same guys who rep Cold War Kids, Thrice & Rufio. Hit up brett@newnoisemanagement.com for music and info.

HOLY CRAP -- BIG RADIO NEWS! Our spies in Atlanta Georgia tell us that WNNX (99X), one of the best Alternative radio stations in the U.S., is flipping formats to a more Rock-leaning outlet, and longtime programmer / morning show co-host Leslie Fram has left the building.

NEW YEAR, NEW COLOR SCHEME ...AND SOME NEW ARTISTS!
The pink was startin' to bug us, to be honest. Time to mix it up a little bit. Please do check out some of the acts we've got featured in that Amazon.com widget down there on the right -- can't hurt to click on a couple of acts any support them by buying their MP3's right? Anyway, here are a couple new artists we've come across lately. Love to hear what you think about 'em.

REBEKAH LEBEAU (unsigned, unpublished, no management) – 26 year-old L.A.-based singer/songwriter Rebekah LeBeau recently put up a MySpace page featuring three newly-recorded songs – all three are GREAT, hooky, radio-friendly hits. No shit. Word has it she’s got more written and is in the process of getting them tracked – we’ll keep you posted, but remember where you heard about this girl first! Seriously, tweak the production a bit and tell me you can't hear these songs all over Hot/Modern A/C radio. Sign her up, silly rabbits!!

FIRE IN CAIRO (unsigned, unpublished) – L.A./Orange County, CA - based four-piece Fire In Cairo has been garnering some regular love from local ‘World Famous’ Alt-outlet KROQ – and no, they’re not a Cure cover band. It’s early days on the development front, but they’ve got three demo tracks posted on their MySpace page that are quite good. Connect these guys in with the right producer, keep them out on the road for a bit and you just might have yourself a successful new Alt-Rock act with U.S. AND U.K. appeal!