Cubworld hits the studio

All star line-up to play on Jake’s CD!

 

Jacob Kongaika, better known as SellaBand Recording Artist Cubworld, has arrived in New York and production of his SellaBand album has officially begun. Jake will try to write an update on his profile page on a daily basis, but in the meantime, here’s an overview of who he will be working with and where he will be recording. Recording and mixing will take up the whole month of April!

 

 

BKNMusic Productions (Kiyanu Kim And Kevin Patrick) have been chosen from a number of Major Producers to Produce Sellaband Artist Cubworld’s  debut CD. Starting with Pre-Production at World Famous Gibson Studios (The Hit Factory) in New York City after which tracking and recording will be done at Bennett Studios, the home of Grammy Award Winner Tony Bennett in Englewood New Jersey. Overdubs and mixing will be completed at BKNMusic’s very own Studio in Brooklyn, New York.


BKNMusic has worked with Major Recording Artists like Gwen Stefani, Blondie, Portishead, Joss Stone, Ben Jelen, Lucinda Williams and Mozzella just to name a few. For Cubworld’s as of yet untitled debut CD BKNMusic & ALLPROBACKUP with be providing some of New York’s City’s best musicians who have worked with some of the biggest names in music today:

Anthony Johnson on Drums (24/7 Spyz, Eagle Eye Cherry, Bonnie Pink, Chris Stills), 

James Cruz on Bass/Backing Vocals (Columbia Records, J Records, Splender, Ben Jelen, Chris Stills)

Kevin Patrick on Keyboards (Blondie, Lucinda Williams, Jill Scott, Hil St. Soul, Q-Tip, Debbie Harry, Portishead.

Kiyanu Kim on Guitars (Gwen Stefani, Linda Perry, Ben Jelen, Mozella, misUniverse)

Special guest Custard Recording Artist Ben Jelen on Violin And Backing Vocals

 

James Cruz               Kiyanu Kim 

Anthony Johnson    Kevin Patrick 

  Ben Jelen

More additional surprise guests will be announced shortly. So for more info on BKNMusic and Allprobackup you can contact Chris Lewis at ALLPROBACKUP@Gmail.com or check out www.bknmusic.com.

This just in...

After their first day together in the studio, Kevin & kiyanu sent us their first impression of working with Cubworld: " Jake brings everything as an artist to deliver an  album mixed witn soul, rock, and visuals that will be heard and seen  for a long long time. His ideas never ceased, even after 6 hours of  solid writing & arranging. He is really easy going, patient, and has  the qualities of a leader as well as a collabotator. Already we can 
see that this album is going to reveal a journey of great sound and  songs for all of us."

 

The Other Side of…

Brian Taylor (Vegas Dragons)

 

A new series in which we give our Artists the opportunity to tell you there is more to them than just their music. This week it is Vegas Dragons main man Brian Taylor. And the one thing we all want to know of course, is what kind of job he has that it allows him to be present on SellaBand 24/7…

 

What is your full name?

“Brian James Taylor.”

Date & place of birth?

“Valentine's Day 1973 in Sydney.”

Where do you live?

“Sydney, Australia.”

Do you have a job?

“Yes. In the kitchen of a private boarding school. I also sell my  possessions on ebay to finance my SellaBand addiction.”

What are your hobbies?

“ Writing music, stories, poetry. Drawing, reading, singing, Sellabanding,  playing guitar and piano, watching movies and sport. Playing pool and  chess (poorly).”

Favorite food?

“All the ‘Ch’ foods - Chicken, Chinese, Chocolate, Chips, Cheeseburgers,  Chili”

Holiday destination?

“ THE NETHERLANDS via UK. ASAP!!!!”

All time favorite artist?

“That is a tough one! Billy Joel followed by Metallica, Guns n Roses,  Pantera, Beethoven, Mozart and David Bowie.”

All time favorite book?

"’How to win friends and influence people’ by Dale Carnegie, ‘The Razor's Edge’ by W. Somerset Maugham, ‘Rock Star 101: A Rock Star's Guide to Survival and Success in the Music Business’ by Marc Ferrari..... and  anything by my hero Matthew Reilly.”

All time favorite movie?

“ I love my movies. Top 10 includes:  Dead Poet's society, One flew over the cuckoo's nest, Star Wars, Wall Street, Leaving Las Vegas.”

 

Best friend?

“Tiffany Gow. She has been my best friend for over a decade. Honorable mention: Bob Stevens, Phil Tweed and Lucretia (all on SellaBand).”

Love of your life?

“Vegas Mama (my mother) and Vegas Dice (my brother). They are my heroes.  I'm single, so there is no Mrs. Vegas. I hope to find her one day.”

Do you have anything to declare?

“Apart from the fact that I can't rap??? I love SellaBand very much as an artist and as a Believer. (My family and friends think way too much! LOL) I'm on SellaBand everyday without fail. I have made so many sensational  friends thanks to this wonderful website. I can't wait to meet you and play live to you one day soon! Thank you all for Believing in Vegas Dragons.”


Adam’s Apples

 

This week’s column written by special guest reviewer Maybelline the Cat.

Hello everyone - I’m Maybelline, a 13 year old long haired tiger tabby tortoiseshell pussycat. I have been listening to the best music all my life so I know what I’m talking about. I’ve also sat in the laps of many more famous musicians than you have. My favourite bands are Modest Mouse, Hot Tuna and Cream although I am partial to any kind of music with little bells in it.

 

I am very impressed with the Canadian singer Marnie Mains who certainly knows just how to treat a boyfriend. All the songs are extremely catchy especially “Lonely Kind Of Blue” which makes my fur stand up. The minor key bluesiness of “Misguided” and the 6/4 groove of “Love Stupid Love” are sublime and there’s a great video for “Suffocating” too. This is quality music from a real star in the making and a definite $50K contender if ever there was one. And don’t forget that I have very sensitive ears and know about these things. And I can wash my own parts with my tongue too.


Marnie Mains 

There have been a lot of German bands arriving here in the last week or so. Why is it that so many of them post their info in German when comparatively few household pets around the world (or even humans for that matter) can understand what they’re writing about? I for one have enough trouble reading English and can’t speak a word of it. Anyway, there is one band that stands out a mile above the rest, but after only a couple of days they removed the songs and info from their page. So if you’re reading this (and you four know exactly who you are) get your act together – you’re a great little pop band and will certainly find Believers here. Maybe you’re all on holiday getting up at 5am to put your towels on sun loungers.
Of all the new bands this week Private Nation may just be my favourite – a US power pop trio which reminded me a little of early Cheap Trick. Unfortunately they look more like Cheap Trick’s drummer than their singer, but to me most humans all look much the same anyway. “Everybody Wants’ is as catchy as fleas and I’m sure there must be a little bell in the mix somewhere because I like it so much.


Private Nation

And the good Dr Dagmar (the noted Professor at the Sellaband College Of Musical Knowledge) has been tripping out with Flashgit – no info at all but nice spacy experimental stuff that I found really interesting, especially when you’re out of your brains on catnip (or katzenminze as our German friends would say). And he likes Bim too - and so he should because Rebecca and Tim are terrific and Tim’s sister is the brilliant award winning animator Katie Davis who made Second Person’s “Gone Fishing” film. Could Bim be the next Second Person themselves? My feline intuition thinks so.
Before he rushed out the door this morning Adam told me to mention how good Jap Jap is and that he deserves to be more widely heard. So I played “The Long Walk Home” and for once have to agree with him. Also slipping through Adam’s fingers recently (typical human!) was Accolade who also sounded good but didn’t seem to be very active on Sellaband or their myspace site.
For a little diversion I enjoyed The Hot Club Of Hungary – swinging 1930’s gypsy jazz in the Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli style. Also “Waiting” by Balance was a nice slice of drum&bass with trumpet for stretching out in the sun. But be warned - Diana-Maria is the most scary thing I’ve come across on my life and made me run and hide behind the sofa. And is Pukes meant to be a good name? I suggest “Hairball” would be better or “Shitball” more musically appropriate.
And there’s excitement at Sellaband HQ – is Franny  getting close to a “Basic Instinct” moment while trashing an amplifier? I think she just needs a good stiff brushing.

 
Diana Maria 

Hope you appreciate how difficult typing can be when you don’t have any fingers. You can write to me via adam@sellaband.com and remember – be nice to pussycats while you can. The way humans are screwing the world up we’ll be running everything before you know it…………

 



Q + A

Phil Tweed

 

It’s really great to see how Believers and Artists from the other side of the world haven taken SellaBand to their hearts. We all cheer for Vegas Dragons, Maitreya, Luna Assassins, Tiffany Gow , GD Allan and Mandyleigh, it’s only a matter of time before one of them hits the 50k and ends up in a recording studio. Chances are, Phil Tweed will be involved. A New Zealander living in Australia, he embodies all the strengths of the southern Hemisphere.

 

Who is Phil Tweed?

“Well … I’m originally from New Zealand, but live in Australia now. I have a wife, five kids and a psychotic one eyed cat. We’ve just moved from the city of Newcastle to the vineyard area of the Hunter Valley in a small country town called Branxton (we have a resident family of 12 ducks, and the occasional kangaroo bounces through our property). Jodi and I have our own company that is only 3 years old – Jodi works as the Events Manager at Hunter Valley Gardens, while I run our production studio during the day (and plenty of nights as well). I’m also the ‘resident’ muso at Tallawanta Lodge, playing and singing there every Friday and Saturday night. I’ve got a performance diploma and degree in classical piano, have also played jazz, rock, funk and blues for years. As a producer/arranger, I also play a bunch of other instruments as well. I have a pretty strange sense of humour – you can sample small morsels of it at various times on the SellaBand profile pages as well as the informal SAB forum”.

 

What are you first and foremost, a producer or an artist?

Definitely an artist – As an artist I love to write both on the piano and guitar, and because my musical background and tastes are so diverse, I tend to draw from many different influences when I write. I like to be creative with lyrics, and avoid cliché. I try to make people think. To me, a song is a way of communicating with your listeners, exposing how you feel about certain issues that are important to you, or telling a story – everyone loves to hear a good story! In regards to style and current equivalents, I think my music sounds at times like (in no particular order) Steely Dan, John Mayer, Diana Krall, Norah Jones, a sort of blend between jazz and pop – with some funk, folk and blues thrown in for good measure. I like clean sounding production for my own music, letting each instrument and vocal part speak for itself, and never to overshadow two major things – one, the song, and secondly, my performance of the song both vocally and instrumentally. Because our business is still in its early stages, much of my time is spent as a producer – which incidentally is a job I absolutely love! Apart from hanging out with some very fun people making them sound the way they’ve dreamed, I get to be very creative and inventive – I love pushing the boundaries of normal studio production, crossing genre barriers, and taking songs and developing them to their full potential. Having my own studio is an added bonus as an artist, not something I take for granted.”


How did you come to join SellaBand, and why?

Brian Taylor from Vegas Dragons told me about it – we both saw SellaBand as a great new concept to get music not only recorded, but as a means to broaden a fanbase. Because SellaBand was in its early stages – we thought it best to get on sooner rather than later.”

 

You've produced music for some prominent SellaBand artists, such as Vegas Dragons and Tiffany Gow. Who else is on your resume?

“Amongst others, I produced ‘One Day’ for Marty Worrall – from Australian Idol 2004. (This single charted independently for ten weeks here in Aus.) On SellaBand, I’ve also produced for Kristy James and Wild Rose – both of whom are fine singer/songwriters and deserving support. I also have another artist just about to sign up (stay tuned…).”

 

Are there any particular SellaBand artists you would love to get your hands on and produce some tracks?

“Yes – I’d love to produce Vegas Dragons’ third album when they reach their goal. Doing some really tasteful Latin American arrangements with Lily would be something I could really enjoy. I know Cubworld is probably already in production, but because I love Jack Johnson, that would be fun. I’d love to sink my teeth into working with Symeon Cosburn, and last but not least, I’d love to get involved in recording with Lorenzo Venza – he has some brilliant fusion material. By the way – a significant portion of my work I do for people without actually meeting them – we communicate through the internet. Contact me if you’re interested  (shameless plug!)”

 

The Road To 50K can become long and winding. Are you still determined to get there?

“Absolutely – I’ll make it there, but it will probably take a bit more time than other ‘mainstream’ genres. I’m quite fine with that though, because I think SellaBand is a process – I’m thoroughly enjoying the ride! It took me one month to reach $1000, and three months to get to $2000 – at the current rate it will take about 8 years!!!! Seriously, I know there are fans out there for my music, it’s just going to take a little more time for them to come out and ‘discover’ me! I’m hoping to have raised the full 50k in the next three years, if not two (prove me wrong here…) – but I’m going to release my own albums along the way to keep the fires burning!. I’m currently working on two albums – one of simple piano and vocal arrangements of mainly jazz standards, the second is going to be all original material recorded with a four piece band.”

 

Why should people believe in Phil Tweed?

“Because they like my music! Hey, I know it is different – but the number of people are growing who like it – if you dig it as well, then buy parts! I’ve got a free live CD that has won multiple awards for anyone who buys two parts, plus a number of other incentives. If you want to see me record a new album – then get on board - I promise you a beauty!”


SellaBand welcomes AT Productions as official partner

Dutch booking agency ‘adopts’ 50K Artists

The live element of any artist's career, is as important as it ever was. In a serious attempt to offer more than just a platform to fund your future recording, SellaBand is proud to announce a partnership with AT Productions, a leading management company and booking agency in the Netherlands. Effective immediately, every artist that reaches the $50,000 will get the opportunity to have their gigs in the Netherlands booked and organized through AT Productions.

 

What we seem to be doing more and more is use the Netherlands as a test market for new SellaBand initiatives. This is not something we set out to do initially, but simply a strategy we developed after we were met with so much love and respect in our home territory. Currently around 30% of our community is Dutch, and SellaBand is already among the 500 busiest websites from this country. So we figured, that if we try things out here first (such as the Paradiso gig, our promo rounds, new partnerships) and then emulate them elsewhere, this might very well be the key to international success.

In light of this strategy, SellaBand is very happy to announce a partnership with AT Productions. In a short period of time, this company has built a solid reputation as one of Holland’s leading Management companies. Their management and booking roster includes platinum selling artists Kane, Within Tempation, Van Dik Hout and Di-rect. Says AT Managing Director Edwin Janssen: “Through our many years of experience our network includes every Club, Venue and Festival in the Netherlands and we feel we can bring a lot to the table for both Dutch and International SellaBand acts.”

 

SellaBand’s Managing Director Johan Vosmeijer explains: “We have been looking for strategic alliances since day one. In my opinion the live element is key in almost any music career. The roster of artists that AT already represents is impressive and we are very fortunate to be able to have their expertise on hands for our Recording Artists. This is not something we will force upon anyone but will offer as an extra service. I see this as a valuable opportunity to add something useful to your career.”