UK band hits Hollywood for inaugural “Artists in Music Awards 2012″

Adele… Coldplay… Radiohead… Mumford & Sons… those weren’t the only UK acts out in Hollywood this week with high hopes of international music award recognition.

Essex-based, Pop/Rock songwriting act REACHBACK also took their place on the Hollywood red carpet at the ARTISTS IN MUSIC AWARDS 2012.  Held at the world-famous Key Club, Sunset Strip two days prior to the 54th Grammy Awards, the ceremony, dubbed “The Independent Grammys”,  honors the best independent music artists from around the world in twenty-one categories, with over 8,000 nominations submitted and  whittled down to the top five in each category.

High-flying young band REACHBACK, fronted by Ruby Williams, were short-listed in three categories: “Best Pop Act”, “Best Rock Act” and “International Independent Artist of the Year”, having caught the attention of industry professionals affiliated to the MusicXray A&R critic platform.

Los Angeles has become a fertile growth and development territory for REACHBACK who released their 5 track EP Wake Up through MTVN in October 2011 on the recommendation of MTV’s A&R consultant Nic Harcourt and the band was invited to MTV’s LA studios to give a live performance and interview the day after the Grammys.

Band singer, Ruby Williams said:

“Being short-listed for three international music awards was something beyond our wildest imagination! It’s going to be a very proud and memorable occasion, but we’re really excited to use the trip to hold as many meetings as we can and to keep raising our profile and exposure this year.”

The Artist of the Year Award category short-listed five acts by the following defined criteria:

“Artists/bands must have demonstrated great creative accomplishment within the independent community, including but not limited to: professional or self-produced music, exceptional songwriting ability, self-management, licencing in television or film, understanding of marketing and PR skills by reaching out to fans, hosting online web shows, performing at charity events and benefits, giving away free music, taking photos with fans, winning multiple music contests, attending workshops, networking, songwriting forums or organisations. Artists must have contributed greatly to the music community in order to stand out.”

REACHBACK Manager and former UK label A&R, Nick Robinson added:

“The band fully deserve this nomination in recognition of their broad self-development over the past year.  To be leading the way with three nominations in a professional, industry-scrutinized set of international independent music awards is one of the clearest indications yet of the prospects of REACHBACK.”

The band has recorded acoustic tracks for MTV and Extreme’s HYPE MUSIC at Abbey Road Studios which are scheduled for a spring release and anticipated major brand sync placements.

REACHBACK are actively looking for serious label and booking agent representation in 2012:
www.reachbackband.com / www.soundcloud.com/reachback

Since the launch of HYPE MUSIC eight months ago, we’ve been dreaming of the day we’d get to shout about one of our artists landing a major label deal. Apparently dreams come true even for bad boys and troublemakers… We are stoked and proud to announce that Wallpaper. has been signed to Epic Records by Mr. L.A. Reid, himself!

Wallpaper.’s front man, Ricky Reed, one of the most daring yet brilliant minds in music today, was called into a late night meeting with the other Reid, back in early December. Between Ricky’s sleazy yet profound lyrics and dangerously catchy beats, Epic’s newest Chairman and CEO saw the same superstar power we did and made an honest man out of the Bay area whiz kid.

Joining the likes of Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Natasha Bedingfield, a deal with the Sony subsidiary all but guarantees that Wallpaper. gains the attention they deserve as a rambunctious, yet hard-working group, with infectious lyrics and beats; not to mention an on-stage presence that gets even the too-cool-for-school kids dancing. Keep an eye and ear out for this animated (literally) act as 2012 shapes up to be nothing less than EPIC. (Shameless, we know…)

For more info about the deal check out these articles:

OAKLAND’S WALLPAPER. INKS DEAL WITH EPIC RECORDS

WALLPAPER. KICKS OFF NEW YEAR WITH NEW RECORD LABEL

Land Rover owners are renowned for their passion and their leanings toward perfectionism. In short, they play hard but always clean up beautifully. US based production company, PrettyBird teams up the NYC advertising agency Young & Rubicam to create ‘Running’, a 45′ commercial that see’s the driver put himself and his car through rough terrain but who always ensures he and his car are sparkly clean at the end of their playtime.

Check out the spot below which features HYPE artist HEAVY YOUNG HEATHENS’ track “MULHOLLAND DRIVE”.

Client: Land Rover
Spot title: “Running”

Advertising Agency: Young & Rubicam, New York, NY
Creative Director: Steve Whittier
Executive Producer: Tennille Teague
Creative Director: Graeme Hall
Assoc. Producer: Jona Goodman

Production Company: Pretty Bird
Director: Paul Hunter
Co-Founder/Executive Producer: Kerstin Emhoff
Executive Producer: Ali Brown
Producer: Scott Kaplan

Editorial Company: Cut + Run
Editors: Steve Gandolfi & Joel Miller
Asst. Editor: Georgia Dodson
Executive Producer: Rana Martin
Producer: Ashley Carrier

Transfer: MPC, Los Angeles, CA
Colorist: Mark Gethin

Conform/VFX: MPC, New York, NY
Online Artist: Alex Lovejoy

Audio Post: Sound Lounge, New York, NY
Audio Engineer: Philip Loeb

Sound Design: Joel Miller, Philip Leob and Georgia Dodson

Music Credits:
Title: Mulholland Drive
Artist: Heavy Young Heathens
Composed by: Robert Mardo/Aron Mardo
Courtesy of Hype Music

VIEW ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.lbbonline.com/News/PrettyBird-Captures-The-Perfect-Land-Rover-Owner_763.aspx

Ricky Reed was itching to get the basketball season started after its unnecessarily long hiatus. If you know anything about Mr. Reed, you know when he’s inspired, magic is soon to ensue. Always the fan of the underdog, the Wallpaper. crew busted out a new track entitled “Blake Griffinin’”. Ricky even edited a corresponding video highlighting the lesser known and loved Los Angeles team, the LA Clippers and it’s star. Check out the video below and for a free download of the uncomfortably catchy tune, hop over to Hypem.com

Some bands remind you of certain places even though they may not originate from that specific location. While New Cassettes hail from Northampton, England, their sound brings images of palm trees, sandy beaches, and the streets of Los Angeles to mind. This five-piece band originally formed as a mish-mash side project in 2005 while each member pulled double-duty in bands of their own. Gradually, the side project solidified into a fully-fledged endeavor and the band’s notoriety has been on a similar gradual incline ever since.

The basslines are bold and groovy, the guitars are sunny and infectious, and Tom Stubbs’ vocals are deliberate with an edgy twist. New Cassettes is an edgy pop band that you will want to unapologetically blast out of your car windows while speeding down the Pacific Coast Highway. Fans of Jimmy Eat World will definitely find New Cassettes equally appealing and blast-worthy. The guys recently released Silent Guns, a seven song EP, on November 8, 2011.

CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.theowlmag.com/features/hear-this-new-cassettes/

Harcourt’s eclectic vibe infuses new ventures
Former KCRW host puts his stamp on MTV, ‘Guitar Center Sessions’

When Nic Harcourt, one of the last remaining big-name tastemakers left on terrestrial radio, ankled as musical director of L.A.’s KCRW and host of its “Morning Becomes Eclectic” program in 2008, it amounted to the end of an era — a decade in which he became arguably the most influential DJ in the country.
With the KCRW show still thriving under the auspices of new host Jason Bentley, Harcourt has nonetheless kept plenty busy, helming a radio show on KCSN while running his SamLuna Media company. But it is with two new ventures that the music curator is embarking on what he calls the “next phase” of his career.

Last spring, Harcourt joined MTV as the network’s first music supervisor in residence. He will serve as song selector for upcoming scripted shows such as “I Just Want My Pants Back,” as well as consulting for the MTV-Extreme Music joint project Hype Production Music, which seeks to place unsigned artists’ music in MTV Networks programming.

Meanwhile, he’s serving as host for DirecTV’s “Guitar Center Sessions,” which broadcasts out of the music chain’s Hollywood store, combining musical performances from the likes of Peter Gabriel, Blondie and Bad Religion alongside often-revealing interviews between Harcourt and the musicians.

“I’m not directly involved in the booking. What I have been able to do is make suggestions,” Harcourt said of his “Guitar Center” role, noting with particular pride the part he played in ushering SoCal indie bands Delta Spirit and Saint Motel onto the platform.

For now, Harcourt seems to enjoy his more laidback role with the program, which has seen him branch into music far outside what would have been his comfort zone during his “Morning Becomes Eclectic” tenure.

“It’s exciting to sit down with Peter Frampton, who I’d never played in my entire career in radio,” Harcourt said. “I would never have envisioned myself interviewing (Social Distortion’s) Mike Ness, but that was such a good interview. … It’s the unexpected things that make the show, like when Debbie Harry starts talking about smoking weed in bed, and you just have to be prepared for it.”

As for his position with MTV, Harcourt noted that his overall role is still coming into shape.

Though the network has weathered some withering criticism in the past over its surrender of a music-based format in favor of reality skeins, MTV’s recent ventures into the international music sphere with its Iggy platform, as well as the Hype Production venture, seem to reflect a concerted effort to bring more eclectic music back into its programming — a trend Harcourt hopes to be a part of.

“I’m sure they’ll keep on dragging ‘Jersey Shore’ into the ground, but they really are trying to bring a degree of music back through these scripted shows,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to put unsigned indie bands out there into the world.”

Music bites

Despite some less than enthusiastic reactions to its trailer, Relativity Media’s Tarsem Singh-directed “Mirror Mirror” landed a coup with its hiring of composer Alan Menken to score. The pic will be the eight-time Oscar winner’s first film-scoring assignment since penning Disney’s “Tangled” last year.

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has been tapped to score Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master.” Greenwood earned high marks for his feature film-scoring debut with Anderson’s previous feature, “There Will Be Blood,” which was controversially ruled ineligible for Oscar consideration in the music category.

On the Internet radio front, Clear Channel announced the appointment of Bob Stohrer to chief marketing officer of its Clear Channel Digital branch, where the former Sprint Nextel exec will develop marketing efforts for the broadcaster’s iHeartRadio online platform. Meanwhile, Pandora hired on former MySpace exec Michael Chuthakieo as executive director for national entertainment sales.

Zynga, whose social-media videogames “FarmVille” and “Mafia Wars” have previously solicited cross-promotional ventures from Lady Gaga and Dr. Dre, respectively, has announced another, pairing Michael Buble with “CityVille.” The neo-crooner, whose “Christmas” compilation currently sits atop the album chart, will debut exclusive material and lend his avatar to the game next week.

VIEW THE ARTICLE AT VARIETY.com