TALENTfilter Developing Artist Update

It's one thing to tip you to a new artist and then move on to the next, but we also like to keep you updated on what these developing artists are busy with - in case you initially heard their music and wanted to "wait until the story develops a bit."

Today we looked back at a few of the acts we'd written about many moons ago and put together this little update for you!

L.A. band Pan America (featured on 2/23/07) is still out there hustling, and while they're not doing a very good job of keeping their online presence updated, they've recently recorded a new EP. You can hear the tracks on their MySpace Page (Highlight track is "Will We Ever Learn").

The House Harkonnen (featured on 3/28/07), also continuing to plug away, have released two more EPs since being featured. They had a development deal with Atlantic, but it seems as if that's not the sitch anymore. If you like everything Dave Grohl does, this band will give you a boner.

Eighteen year-old singer Tori Kelly (featured on 6/24/07) is still unsigned and unpublished. She auditioned for American Idol in 2010 and made it to 'Hollywood Week', but didn't get to the 'Top 24' cut. This girl's voice is SICK. Check out her YouTube page to hear her sing some covers.

New York singer-songwriter Lionel Neykov (featured on 1/13/08), about whom we'd written, "...has the potential to be a song-licensing ANIMAL", had his track "Freeze My Senses" licensed by a Spanish ad agency for $20,000 after they discovered him on YouTube. Lionel now has management, but is still unsigned and unpublished.

Diana Pops (featured on 11/28/08) has picked up management and self-released an EP titled For Bright Minds in Dark Corners on Feb. 22. This Winnipeg-based singer's music is fantastic - for fans of Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan. Labels should take note - Diana's music appeals to adults - you know - the people who still buy music. Publishers - she's a sync licensing dream. Check out her Facebook page to hear the EP. Still unsigned/unpublished but apparently there is some label interest brewing...

Are you an artist we've written about in the past? Hit us up at talentfilter@gmail.com and let us know what you're up to!

The New Assembly

THE NEW ASSEMBLY (unsigned, unpublished) - The New Assembly is a San Diego-based duo whose Clouds and Waves EP was produced/mixed by Bryan Cook (Train, Five For Fighting, Meiko, Inara George). Filled with subtle synths and beats, this EP is syncable as all get-out: music supervisors (and labels/pubcos who like money) should take note. Songs from Clouds and Waves are garnering local radio support from THREE San Diego stations (Alternative KBZT, Triple A KPRI and Hot A/C KYXY). The New Assembly will perform at IndieFest in San Diego on March 12 (5:15PM set time).

Courtney Holt Out As MySpace Music Prez

MySpace Music President Courtney Holt will 'change his role' at the company, according to an inter-office memo sent out by interim-President Mike Jones. The memo states, "Over the next several weeks, (Courtney) will be moving from being the President of MySpace Music to becoming a key advisor to both MySpace and Newscorp."

Holt has led MySpace Music for the past two years, and previously oversaw digital music initiatives at MTV.

Brian Wright

We're sure every major label A&R meeting currently goes something like this: "Where the fuck is our fucking Mumford & Sons, huh?!"

Please have a look/listen to Brian Wright. We told you about him in February 2007, and this just might be his breakthrough year. He just signed with Sugar Hill Records, who will release his new album, House On Fire, on March 29. Go license it from them, dummies.

McLachlan Leaves Nettwerk Mgmt.

According to Digital Music News, Sarah McLachlan has parted ways with longtime manager Terry McBride and Nettwerk Management. Read DMN Publisher Paul Resnikoff's piece HERE.

Upcoming L.A.-Area Shows Of Note

Feb. 20 - Bobby Brown - Key Club (YEAH!!!)
Feb. 21 - Dawn Mitschele (and others) - Room 5
Feb. 23 - Anna Nalick - Hotel Cafe
Feb. 23 - The Hood Internet - The Echo
Feb. 25 - Keaton Simons - Hotel Cafe
Feb. 25 - Samantha Ronson (full band) - Satellite
Mar. 1 - Leeroy Stagger - Hotel Cafe
Mar. 3 - Tift Merritt - Bootleg
Mar. 3 - Boyz II Men - The Canyon (YEAH!)
Mar. 4 - Gold Motel - Origami Vinyl (in-store)
Mar. 5 - Gobble Gobble - Troubadour
Mar. 8 - Katie Costello - Hotel Cafe
Mar. 8 - Gold Motel - The Echo
Mar. 9 - Obi Best - Hotel Cafe
Mar. 9 - Stryper - Club Nokia (YEAH!)
Mar. 10 - The Tender Box - Troubadour
Mar. 11 - Les Butcherettes - The Echo

TALENTfilter Artist Signings (A Catch-Up)

It’s been well over a year since we’ve posted any news or updates, so we’d like to catch you up on a couple of TALENTfilter artist signings that have happened since we last wrote (for a list of every act that’s been signed since we started the blog, look to the right at the list in red).

Sonia Leigh, first featured in February 2007, signed a label deal in 2009 with Southern Ground Artists, Inc., an Atlantic Records joint-venture imprint formed by Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band. According to a December 2010 post on her blog, her debut Southern Ground Artists album is done and a release date is imminent.

Neon Hitch, first featured in August 2008, was signed to EMI Publishing in summer 2009 and eventually signed to Warner Bros. in 2010. No word on an album release date, but a video for a track called “Get Over U” (co-written by Sia) was posted to YouTube on February 8.
(Neon Hitch wasn't featured on any other A&R tipsheet blog until July 2009)

Chloe Leighton, first featured in December 2008, signed with Beluga Heights/WB in June 2010 and is currently working on her debut album.
(Chloe wasn't featured on any other A&R tipsheet blog until March 2009. HITS Magazine featured her in April 2009)

Danish singer Oh Land, first featured in March 2009 and who was one of our “SXSW 2009 performing artists to see”, signed with Epic Records two months after label reps attended said showcase. Now, two years later, Perez Hilton picks Oh Land to be “one to watch in 2011”

CHECK ONE TWO ...IS THIS THING ON??? What's up, party people. We're back. We think. After a sixteen-month break, we've noticed many of the artists we'd written about have gone on to do some pretty amazing things. Looks like we were onto something - so here we are again!

Over the next week or so, we'll do a little housecleaning. Switch out the Blogroll with more relevant website links, etc., and we'll report on some of the old TALENTfilter artists and their accomplishments over the past year or so.

We'll try and pop up some new, recent discoveries too, so if you've got anything for us to check out, send links to talentfilter@gmail.com (No MP3s, please, dummies. Just streaming links or something that won't clog our Inbox. Be smart.).

As always, we'll happily make this a private A&R tipsheet for any label or publisher looking to put us on the payroll.

We're wicked broke, so we'll work wicked cheap, you dig?

Anyway, stay tuned. And send an E-mail over to say 'hello' so we know someone actually gives a shit.

Oh, and hey, Happy Valentine's Day!

xoxo
Team TALENTfilter