ANOTHER TALENTFILTER ARTIST SIGNS LABEL DEAL! Congratulations to TALENTfilter act Elizabeth & The Catapult -- the band has announced that after two months of negotiating, they've signed with Verve Forecast. We first wrote about Elizabeth & The Catapult EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO. Woo hoo!
NEW SIGNINGS, ETC. -- Female-fronted Florida five-piece Hey Monday signs to Columbia Records (there is literally ZERO difference between Hey Monday and Paramore) ...Joshua Radin, who left Columbia (and took his new album with him), signs with newly-launched Q Prime Management label Mom & Pop Music Co. (no relation to Mom & Pop Records or Mom Pop Records) ...Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights signs to Atlantic Records ...Boston rockers Therefore I Am signs with Equal Vision ...Death metal outfit The Crimson Armada, who have over 1.2 million MySpace plays, sign with Metal Blade...
MY MORTALITY (unsigned) -- New York's My Mortality is a four-piece formed by former Type O Negative / Life Of Agony drummer Sal Abruscato. Since April 2008, the band has been garnering regular airplay on tastemaker Active Rocker WSOU South Orange, the SIRIUS Satellite Radio "Octane" channel, and specialty spins on New York Classic Rocker WAXQ. A four-song EP is available on iTunes and the group recently posted two new recordings on their MySpace page. New York label geeks should know they've got two upcoming shows in your area (August 23 at the Backstage Rock Bar in Groton, CT and August 30 at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ).
WEQX ALBANY'S "LARKFEST 2008" SPOTLIGHTS LOCAL TALENT -- Alternative WEQX Albany will present "LarkFEST 2008" on Lark Street in Alabany, NY on September 20th... Signed acts including The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello), Eric Hutchinson, Oppenheimer and Val Emmich will be joined by local acts The Sense Offenders, Maggie Mayday, and two of our upstate-area faves Saving Atlantis and Aficionado...
NEON HITCH (unsigned, unpublished) -- Yes, it's her real name. Yes, she was born into a family of gypsy circus performers. Yes, she sounds like the pre-Timbaland Nelly Furtado. And yes, she's Amy Winehouse's flat-mate. Seriously, we couldn't make this shit up if we tried. Neon is working with the production/management team Pilot Creative out of Brooklyn. It's fun stuff, and if you haven't heard of her before -- you're welcome!
KITS-FM (LIVE 105) SAN FRANCISCO SPINS LOCAL MUSIC THIS WEEKEND -- Tastemaker Alt-outlet Live 105 is running a "HomeGrown Weekend" on the air, featuring music from some of the best Bay Area bands that've emerged over the past few years. Props to Aaron Axelsen and the crew on the Live 105 programming staff - they've got their finger on the pulse of that market and it's nice to see them support these bands with airplay ...Acts receiving rotation include The Audrye Sessions, The Trophy Fire, Action Design, The Matches, Morning Benders, The Bruises, Hundred Days, Mister Loveless, Rogue Wave, Lovelikefire, Picture Atlantic, Immigrant, The Doobie Kids, and long-time TALENTfilter faves, Unjust. Peep their MySpace page -- the Unjust song that Live 105 is spinning is called "It's Not Enough." Alt-Rock radio SMASHAROO. Unjust is signed to a little indie called Koolarrow (run by ex-Faith No More bassist Billy Gould), but they could TOTALLY use a strong team behind them to market and promote.