Vox Pop Country Album Winner Rita Hosking is on tour.  Check out her dates here:

Sep 2 2010 6:30P
Strawberry Music Festival Yosemite, CA Find Tickets

Sep 5 2010 9:30A
Strawberry Music Festival Yosemite, CA Find Tickets

Sep 10 2010 8:00P
Evangeline’s Cafe Colfax, CA

Sep 11 2010 8:00P
Anderson Marsh Bluegrass Festival Clear Lake, California, US

Sep 19 2010 5:00P
Jupiter Berkeley, CA Find Tickets

Sep 25 2010 7:00P
Mateel Center Redway, CA Find Tickets

Oct 2 2010 11:30A
Hoes Down Harvest Festival Guinda, CA Find Tickets

Oct 11 2010 8:00P
Sierra Nevada Brewery Big Room Chico, CA Find Tickets

Oct 23 2010 7:30P
Harmony House Concert Sisters, OR

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/ritahosking

The Bugle Boy
1051 N Jefferson St.
La Grange, TX 78945
www.thebugleboy.com

What is the history of your venue & venue name? The Bugle Boy (TBB) listening room has a most unusual history. It’s located in an army barrack that originated at the WWII Camp Swift Infantry Base in Bastrop, Texas. In 1948, the building was purchased by the La Grange Sons of Hermann Lodge. They moved the building 35 miles to La Grange, where it was used for their meetings until 2004. I then established The Bugle Boy in the barrack, keeping the military theme alive by way of décor, in promotional material, and even in the name of the venue.

The Bugle Boy’s name is taken from the Andrews Sisters’ 1940s’ wartime hit, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”

Which genres do you feature? The focus is on original, quality, independent singer/songwriters who perform blues, folk, rock, jazz, swing and everything in between.

Tell us about The Founder’s Choice Talent Trust as well as The Bugle Boy Foundation. In 2008, we established The Bugle Boy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which helps support all of our objectives. We are “Patron-Powered, Talent-Driven,” and our mission is to continue “sustaining and elevating the live musical performance.”

The Founder’s Choice Talent Trust accepts private donations, given to the Foundation from our dedicated music lovers. The goal behind this venture is to remove the recording industry from the equation altogether and to allow the venue to invest in the music of its choice. A Founder’s Choice recipient is chosen and then receives financial assistance in the production of their new recording and mentoring to ensure success—while retaining 100% ownership of the recording. In return, they agree to continue performing at TBB, to repay a finite sum of performance fees back to the Foundation and to mentor the next recipient.

What makes your room unique? Aside from the fact that we are housed in a WWII army barrack, we are an 80-seat theater-style listening room/performance venue that requires much from both the artist and the audience. We set high standards for lyrical content and require the undivided attention of the listeners. It’s a very intimate setting allowing for palpable connections between the artist and the attentive audience.

Who are the most memorable acts that have performed there? Fortunately, our listeners would likely say that many of our performances have been memorable. Some of the audience favorites include Eliza Gilkyson, Janis Ian, Woody Russell, Erika Luckett, Walt Wilkins, Elizabeth Wills, John Pointer, Kat Edmonson,
Peter Mulvey, Carolyn Wonderland, Ruthie Foster, Seth Walker, Guy Fosyth & Hamilton Loomis.

Who ís sitting in your audience? At any given performance, our listeners are a diverse, intelligent group of, primarily, Boomers with discerning musical tastes. As we grow, so do our demographics; patrons are bringing both their parents and their adult children to TBB.

Describe your area’s music scene. Eclectic. We are essentially a rural county with German/Czech influence, so in the immediate vicinity there are more traditional type music genres. However, Round Top–a short 20 minute drive– is home to classical music’s prestigious Round Top Festival Institute. We are only an hour’s drive from Austin, so we have a wonderful working relationship with many great artists from the Austin region that realize we offer something totally different from the club scene.

What are the biggest challenges live music venues face? By far, keeping the music alive. Frustration can be felt throughout the industry; venues feel it, and artists, too, feel the strain from not only the financial challenge involved in creating original music, but from the pressure of trying to maintain their integrity in an industry that is technologically and monetarily driven.

How has the live music scene changed over the past few years? Independent performers need more places to showcase their talents. House concerts are becoming increasingly popular and there is a need for more listening rooms. It is our hope that we can become a prototype venue. Community involvement is now necessary to support live music as a legitimate art form.

What is the most common mistake bands make? Some will either attempt to play too loud or too long. Playing too loud is unnecessary–they already have the listeners’ undivided attention. Because of how much they are enjoying those moments, many artists will try to extend their sets, but it’s always better to leave them wanting more.

What is the strangest thing a band has added to a rider or done backstage/onstage? We run a “tight ship,” so nothing really unusual has happened—so far. The artists feel at home; Janis Ian helped herself to the office computer and launched a screen saver that read, “Thank you for the wonderful time. I hope you will have me back. –Janis Ian”

Describe any hopes or plans for the future to improve what you’re doing. We are striving to become a prototype venue that encourages others to keep independent music alive; also, it’s our goal to continue implementing “green” technologies by way of both simple and more complex means—including a solar powered venue truck!

Finish this sentence: The music industry is: evolving. People are getting tired of “canned” music performed under the blanket of commercialized entertainment. They want artists whose individuality is evident in their work. Filmmakers Andrew Shapter, Joseph Celis and Joel Rasmussen produced a wonderful film, “Before the Music Dies,” which speaks directly to that issue.

The program’s yearlong marketing initiatives and strategic partnerships result in the positive push that every artist needs. Partners like eMusic help us achieve our goals and yours.

eMusic subscribers are listening, downloading, purchasing and spreading the word about IMA artists – here’s what some of them have posted on the eMusic site:

“**** Geat sampler #9, Best year so far. I found 20 great tracks here,Hard Rock,Blues,Jazz,Alter.Rock,& Country.Also found 6 artist new to me that I will be downloading a bunch of there music in the future.If you can’t find something you like here,Go back to the top 40 and iTunes”
crazy_k – LONDON ,KY

“…I ended up downloading nine of these tracks, and even picked up the Novalima album available on eMusic.”
Suzdel – NYC

“…A very nice album! I didn’t know any of the artists before, it really broadened my music interest.”
Willem – Amsterdam

“…I like the variety – love Blues (2 great songs), love some Country (another 2 great songs, and some good Alt, Pop and stuff I wouldn’t normally listen to. I downloaded 23 tracks.”
Conorf – San Francisco, CA

“…A nice sampling. Radio is crap. This is the best way to hear new music and find little-known but deserving artists.”
Tiger Bunny – Los Angeles, CA

“Almost three hours of IMA winners for free? I can’t help but shake the feeling we should be paying for music this good, but that’s the point; whet your appetite with the free tracks, then dig deeper into the artists you want to hear more.”
Tricky Hipster – Ohio

“wiiiiiide variety but overall, excellent music. pick and choose your favorites. i’ve grabbed almost all of them.”
tkp42 – Collinsville, VA

“A few more artists added to my stash as a result of this one”
K9disc – San Francisco, CA

“…It’s the exposure to artists new to you that makes this gift a treat. I really enjoyed the discovery.”
Maxee – Toronto, ON

While The 9th IMA Winners CD has just recently been posted, eMusic subscribers have always showed their love for The IMA Winners CD.
Here’s one from the archives:

9th IMA Nominees announced the release of a sophmore album.  The new album titled ‘The Orchard,’ is set for US release August 24th 2010.  ‘The Orchard’ is available for preview in its entirety at NPR.org.

Reposted from: http://www.npr.org/ Preview the Album at: First Listen: Ra Ra Riot, ‘The Orchard‘,-Stephen Thompson

It’s been a good year for little bands that make big music: The National and Arcade Fire both made the leap from top-tier up-and-comers to stadium-filling festival headliners, with the latter going so far as to top the Billboard album chart last week. Ra Ra Riot hasn’t yet risen to their level — though 2008′s The Rhumb Line sold a respectable 60,000 copies — but the group’s sweetly urgent, string-driven pop music wouldn’t exactly get swamped on a big stage, either.

Given the drama that has swirled around Ra Ra Riot — the years of pre-release buzz, the death of drummer and songwriter John Pike shortly before the release of The Rhumb Line — it’s hard to believe that the Syracuse, N.Y., quintet is only about to release its second album. The Orchard’s 10 songs positively burst with sophistication, precision and polish.

Ra Ra Riot wouldn’t be the band it is without the dynamite string section of violinist Rebecca Zeller and cellist Alexandra Lawn, who know how to bathe even the briskest songs (“Boy,” et al) in a wash of melancholy. Wes Miles’ vocals may exude a sort of innocent calm, but his backing players (who also include bassist Mathieu Santos and guitarist Milo Bonacci) are experts at ramping up the tension, too. The result is a record that feels both big and personal — just the right recipe for a band looking to jump to arenas in the months and years to come.

Preorder ‘The Orchard at http://www.Amazon.com/

9th IMA Country Winner, Dale Watson announced his latest album, “Carryin’ On” will be released August 24th.

Reposted from: http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/ Read more at: Dale Watson’s “Carryin’ On” Due Out Aug. 24th

Dale Watson has ready a new album called Carryin’ On, and it will be released on August 24th via Koch Records.

Dale has made a country music career out of defying convention, but he defies his own convention with this new album. As discussed inSeparating Music City From Music Row, the writer of “Nashville Rash” recorded the album at Nashville’s Hilltop Studios, and used legendary Nashville session players Lloyd Green, Hargus Robbins, and Pete Wade.

From The Tennessean:

“People say, ‘What are you doing? You hate Nashville. But I don’t hate Nashville. I hate what has been done to the music that I love, the music that came from Nashville and that was invented in Nashville. I’m 100 percent inspired by what Nashville was.”

Apparently Koch Records did not pick Dale, Dale picked them. He funded the album himself, and then sought out distribution.

“I knew the only way to make a record like this was to keep the labels out of it. I financed it myself. It cost me a lot of money, but I don’t do this for the money. This was the dream record for me. It’s been my dream to get a record done in this town, in Nashville, in the way I knew it could be done.”

Carryin’ On can be pre-ordered HERE, and as album artwork, track list and previews get populated, you should be able to find them there as well.

Submit Now to the 10th IMAs!

The Independent Music Awards are the internationally recognized awards that honor

self released artists and  artists signed to indie labels .

The 10th IMA’s are upon us, and this year we’re adding 14 New Awards to the program that already boasts an already broad spectrum of music and design categories! 69 Awards will be given this year honoring independent musical, and artistic talent!

Honors to the 10th program include: Holiday Song, Tribute Album, Re-Issue Album, Adult Contemporary, Instrumental, and Music EP’s!

Every submitter receives a free subscription to the Musicians Atlas Online, http://musiciansatlas.com/, normally a $140 subscription!  The Musicians Atlas contains an expansive list of music contacts, and listings.  Honestly a must for the working artist!

YOU CAN SUBMIT TO THE 10TH IMAS HERE: http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima/submit/

9th IMA Eclectic Album Winners, Moon Safari have released a new album, The Lovers End.

They have this to say about what to expect, “It will be the first of two albums originating in the same material and the same lyrical theme; we’ve chosen to keep some of the songs from the writing-sessions and release the concluding music in 2011, mostly because of the overbearing task we faced when making the double album Blomljud. But, whatever secrets Lover’s End might offer will be given an answer on that yet untitled album.”

You can purchase Lover’s End from Moon Safari’s Facebook Page

We’ve added bells and whistles to The Independent Music Awards Online Submission Platform so it’s easy to submit your catalogue or roster, and hold a victory party.

Across-the-board professional discounts for bulk submissions can add up to a savings of 20%.
These professional rates start at 3 submissions.  Entering 5 submissions is like getting 1 entry for FREE.
Click Here to submit!

300 top-ranked artists in 70 Song, Album, Music Video & Design categories benefit from ongoing broadcast and online marketing campaigns and live events.

The IMA Winners and Nominees are promoted to Millions of music fans, including 500,000,000 active jukebox customers!

Brody Dalle and Tony Bevilacqua of Spinnerette, our 9th IMA Pop Rock Album and Vox Pop Winners at the Triple J Studios.

Dalle and Bevilacqua performed their original tune “Bury My Hurt” and covered the Beach Boys hit, “Do You Wanna Dance?” at ABC’s Triple J Studios with hosts Tom and Alex.  You can listen to their performance here: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/tomandalex/blog/s2858683.htm

Alaska in Winter is a one man band out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and consists of master mind front man Brandon Bethancourt.  Bethancourt decided this year to press his 3rd Album, Space Eagle (the motion picture soundtrack), on only 100 cassette tapes.  The album is also available on itunes, but unique to the cassette tape are 3 tracks, “Airwolfe,” “Airwolfe in Miami,” and “The Outro.”  Needless to say the cassettes have already sold out.

With the incredible influence of the internet on the music industry today, Bethancourt has managed to do the impossible with his cassette tape pressing.  He has given a sense of nostalgic value to a new release.

Alaska In Winter has announced that there will be 2 more albums to come in the immediate future with recording time scheduled for November 10th, 2010 in an undisclosed location somewhere in the US.  What can we expect from Alaska in Winter’s next releases?  Hopefully 100 album pressings on 8-Track or Vinyl!

Alaska In Winter’s 2010 Album, “Space Eagle (the motion picture soundtrack)”

You can download “Space Eagle (the motion picture soundtrack)” here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/space-eagle-motion-picture/id355590344