An Evening With SellaBand:
Useful information
For those of you who are going to be at Gibson Guitar Studio on June 5th, here is the necessary information you need:
Doors will be open at 18.30 (GMT) and the first performer, Lucia Iman, will be on stage at 19.15, so please make sure you get there in time. The final performance will finish around 21.30, after which everybody is invited to go to another venue for a little after party. There is no curfew for the after party;-)
Here are the addresses:
Gibson Guitar Studio
29/35 Rathbone Street
London W1T 1NJ
Tel: +44207470 7800
After Party @ The Oak Room
The Oak Room at Kettner’s
29 Romilly Street
London W1D 5HP
Many of you have booked a room at the St. Giles Hotel, which is within walking distance from both venues. Here’s the address:
St. Giles Hotel London
Bedford Avenue
London WC1B3GH
Phone: + 44 207 300 3032
Fax: + 44 207 300 3003
One final, important notice: please make sure you have given us the right name under which you want to be put on our guest list. A number of ‘Quiz-winners’ have passed on their tickets to other people, which is not a problem at all, as long as we have been notified at: ticket@sellaband.com. Also, we’ve had hundreds of people applying for tickets in the last couple of weeks. If, for some reason, you will be unable to attend, please let us know so we can pass on your tickets to the first person(s) in line on the waiting list. Thank you very much and see you all on the 5th. Let’s hope it will be another night to remember…
June 5th: Expectations Are High!
Here’s what the Five Performers have to say…
By this time next week, a little under 200 people will be ‘crammed’ into Gibson Guitar Studio for An Evening With SellaBand in London. While our production team reports that 'getting it all together' hasn’t been the easiest of jobs (to turn this exhibition room into a proper venue was the least of the problems we’ve encountered but we won’t trouble you with the details), the rest of us are really looking forward to June 5th. And so are the performing artists. We asked them all two simple questions…
Lucia Iman
Are you ready for 'An Evening With SellaBand?
“...am I ready? I am ready to have the best time performing and for everyone there to have the best time too. I’ve been preparing and now I’m a little nervous, but I like to think that I’m just caught up in the excitement....it’s going to be a magical evening.”
What's the one single thing you are looking forward to the most?
“Just one?! I can’t pick just one! I’m looking forward to the evening itself, to meeting all of the other performers that night , the SellaBand team, our Believers, my other SellaBand peers, and Brian :). Looking forward to the atmosphere in the room right before I start playing, looking forward to the amazing music created that night. Looking forward to seeing friends I haven’t seen in a while, looking forward to playing my heart out and inspiring everyone, I’m looking forward to having a Guinness after the show’s over, and I’m looking forward to how amazing of an experience this is going to be. (If I forgot something I’m looking forward to that too)!”
Bulletproof Messenger
Are you ready for 'An Evening With SellaBand?
“Of course we're ready, we've pretty much timed our set within 20 seconds every time we've rehearsed it... A few too many times I might add…”
What's the one single thing you are looking forward to the most?
“Finally putting the names to faces of everyone we have spoke to for so many months.”
Maitreya
Are you ready for 'An Evening With SellaBand?
“Yes Siiiiiiiir! My DJ and I are excited to bring our live show to London, we've been getting everything just right and practicing our tricks! I'm not gonna promise any any rabbits out of hats but there will be some exciting things going on! My music is quite different from what most bands do on SellaBand so be prepared for a new experience... you will by the end of the night be a fully fledged fan of New Zealand Hip Hop!”
What's the one single thing you are looking forward to the most?
“Getting thru Customs! No, it's definitely meeting as many of the Believers as I can who have got me to where I am on SellaBand. This concert is really an opportunity for me to say thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey and I can't wait to meet everyone there. Plastic Willem has said he will only say hello to me if I am at 50K by then though ... I'm gonna have a busy week...!!!”
Clémence
Are you ready for 'An Evening With SellaBand?
“Not only I’m totally ready but also I’m dying to find myself on stage, to sing with other artists of the big SellaBand family, and to finally live ‘in real’ my much anticipated meeting with the public and the Believers.”
What's the one single thing you are looking forward to the most?
“The most important thing that is close to my heart in this adventure and that will come true on the 5th of June is meeting with an audience who came to me. It’s a true love story with the Believers and the artists of all the countries who showed me with their numerous messages how much they are excited and happy to meet me, as much as I am myself.”
Second Person
Are you ready for 'An Evening With SellaBand?
“We have been very busy recording our Sellaband album "The Elements" but we've put aside more than enough time to rehearse for the show. We've prepared a couple of surprises and we're really looking forward to it. The only thing we can reveal now is that there might be a special guest and we're hoping to have visuals projected as we play. We'll keep our fingers crossed that everything works out as planned, but it should be a great night!”
What's the one single thing you are looking forward to the most?
“There are lots of things we're looking forward to. From talking to the other bands, we know there are going to be some great surprises on the night. In our set one thing we're very much looking forward to it premiering one of the new songs from "The Elements". This will be the first time anyone else will have heard anything from the album - and we're quite excited to see what people think. We're also looking forward to meeting more of our Believers. In Amsterdam it was really nice to put faces to names and we're hoping to thank more of the people who helped us get to the $50k in person!
See you there!”
Q + A
SolidTube
It took them literally a number of months before they had reached their first $1,000 on SellaBand. But recently Austria’s Solid Tube have been regular guests on our Weekly Charts, culminating in a #3 position last week. About time we introduced them and spoke to them about determination and ambitions…
Tell us a bit about Solid Tube, please…
"We are three musicians from Austria -Mandana (vocals), Michael (guitar) and Gerry (harp). Two years ago we met for the first time. There is a live music club in the First District of Vienna. The 'Casablanca' is one of Mandana´s favourite pubs and Michael and Gerry were playing there. After two drinks we jammed for the first time together. In the end we exchanged phone numbers. After our first meeting we decided to start a project, solid tube. It started with gigs in different pubs where we covered songs we like. After a while jamming we composed our own songs. We went into a Studio and the first recordings took place."
What were your expectations when you joined SellaBand?
"When we found SellaBand on the net, we were sold of the idea of a big international platform for musicians. It´s quite hard to publish music in a small country like Austria. So we uploaded our profile to see what would happen. Our expectations weren´t very high, but it was the chance to reach many different people with our music. It´s great to see how good it works since we got help from 'Docnik'."
It’s taken you quite a while to “take off”. Where you ready to give up or confident that success would come in the end?
"We know that it´s a long way to take off, but we trust in our music even though we know that we are not a main-stream-band. We never waste a thought on giving up. It’s still the fun which brings us together and keeps our fire burning."
How much time do you spend on SellaBand?
"We spend quite a lot time on SellaBand. On the one hand to update our profile and to communicate with our Believers, on the other hand to listen to other bands. Next to us Docnik, the brother of Mandana, is working hard for us on SellaBand. And we can’t thank him enough for his work and support."
You are #1 out of over 50 bands from Austria, how does that feel?
"How does it feel? In Austria we would say “extrem leiwand” (which, means extremely good). It 's motivating and we are happy that more and more people listen to our music. Our songs are a kind of diary for us and it´s great that people like them! It’s quite a new experience that you are able to communicate with other People while sitting in the Studio recording. Of course, the opinions, letters, thoughts of the Believers, friends, fans resonate in our songs and arrangements. And that’s completely new for us, but amazing."
What are your ambitions?
"Our ambitions are to write more songs, to make good music and to reach the people (and hey by the way to reach 50k!). Right now we are working on our Songs for the next Album. (Hopefully with SellaBand)."
Are there any other SellaBands you particulary like?
"For example, there is T-ka, she's got an incomparable voice! DaNnY, we really like his music. It´s no surprise that Mandyleigh Storm is near the final, because of her great vocals and Vegas Dragons, an outstanding Rock Band here on SAB. Matt Byers go forward! There are many bands, many talents and big musicians we particularly like, you can´t list them all."
Why should people believe in Solid Tube?
"Self-criticism is easier than self-praise. It is a fact that we believe in ourselves, we've got our own unique style and we love to make music! And we still believe that there are a lot of people out there in the community who share our love and passion for the style and music of “Solid Tube”
Adam’s Apples
Really looking forward to seeing some of you Bands ‘n’ Believers at the big London bash next Tuesday. In the meantime check out these excellent new arrivals and don’t forget to keep your feedback coming to adam@sellaband.com
Name: ConFused5.
Artistry: Rock.
Where: Austria.
Sounds like: The 60s and 70s with fuzz guitars, swirling organs and a no frills rhythm section.
The songs: All different and all excellent. “Puppet Of The World” my tune of the week.
What’s happening: Believers who are now artists themselves.
Adam says: “Great stuff, so go Believe today!”
Rating: 4 apples.
Name: >o-side<.
Artistry: Indie rock trio.
Where: Italy.
Sounds like: Floyd/Radiohead/Contemporary.
The songs: Melodic and well arranged – “Last Chance” especially strong.
What’s happening: I wish I could tell you – I can’t read Italian.
Adam says: “Probably coming soon to a stadium near you”.
Rating: 4 apples
The reams
Name: The Reams.
Artistry: Poppy, folky, indie.
Where: Somewhere in the north of England.
Sounds like: Basic demos with great feel and charm.
The songs: “Last Day” really gets under your skin.
What’s happening: Plenty of gigs and hopefully real recording.
Adam says: “I want one of those badges!”
Rating: 3.5 apples.
And let’s not forget:
jOsiE‘s “How Do You Do” has to be the cutest song of the year so far.
It’s early days for The Mirrors but have great potential and could be real contenders.
Unleashed prove that “girl power” is alive and kicking with the pop-tastic “Ready To Believe”.
And last but not least, Morris has a great voice and songs - but no info on his page…yet.
Weekly Update
Important announcement I
There’s good news and there is bad news. To start with the bad news first: Due to unforeseen technical problems it is not possible to do a live webcast from Gibson Guitar Studio on June 5th. Therefore only those who are in attendance can witness the events live on the night.
The good news is that British company Media On Demand will record An Evening With SellaBand in its entirety and we will do a webcast of the full show, warts ‘n all on Thursday June 7. That evening (at 7 PM CET) will start with the launch of a special edition of the SellaBand Tribune full of pictures of the night’s events. At 7.30PM we will launch a micro-site where the webcast will be shown. You can start chatting and get in the right mood, after which the full 'Evening With SellaBand' can be seen and heard. At precisely 8 PM CET we will start the tape rolling and you can hopefully watch 'a bit of SellaBand history in the making'...
Important announcement II
Because we are all going to be in London on June 5th, there will be no new SellaBand Tribune published on that day. The whole team will be at work in London during An Evening With SellaBand. However, there will be a Special Tribune on Thursday June 7, which will serve as an ‘appetizer’ for that evening’s webcast.
Chart Analysis
A very fruitful week for Page 1 or our Artist Search, as 8 out of 10 bands made it to the Weekly Charts this week, and most of them are in the Top 10. With the exception of Trail and The Fakes all top 10 bands have increased their budgets significantly. Maitreya is a clear #1 and is on his way to $40,000 in budget. Mandyleigh manages to keep her #2 position and has had a great week as well. When will her Final Countdown start? Daniel Ward Murphy makes a big jump and is in fine form. Biggest gainers are Australia’s Vegas Dragons (19 – 5), so Brian Taylor will be in a good mood when he lands at London Heathrow after a 24 hour flight… This week’s highest new entry are Belgium’s Cloon (#10), closely followed by some other brand new faces, 180 Virvar from Denmark (#11). Special mention of the week goes to Holland’s Radius who seem to have a belated benefit from their recent Tribune feature and who continue to work very hard on SellaBand. Their new entry at #12 this week is proof that it can still be worth wile to go the extra mile for reaching your dreams…
SellaBand Presents… Part 2.
It’s real and it does exist! We have received the first hard copies of the SellaBand Presents… Part 2 album from the factory and have been playing it LOUD in our office, today! We will start sending them out to the bands as soon as we can find some available time in our crazy schedules. The album will be for sale ‘for the genera public’ (that includes our Believers) from the moment the SellaBand Store will be live, which is likely to happen mid-June. On the pictures below, taken earlier today you can see us unwrapping the plastic from the big package that the factory sent us, containing thousands of SellaBand Presents CD's...
Deadline Concert At Sea
Just a gentle reminder, that SellaBands still have to opportunity to register for Concert @ Sea until this Friday, June1. Literally hundreds of artists have signed up for their chance to play in front of 60,000 music fans on June 30 at Brouwersdam in the Netherlands. Here you find the details of this competition. In the next regular edition of the Tribune (June 12) we will announce the winner, handpicked by Dutch superstars Blof and the 10 qualifiers who will enter the Concert@Sea Charts and will compete for the final slot at this Festival.
The Week That Was…
It was the week of the ‘aftermath’ of Lovely Lily’s victory and it was also the week in which countless people switched on their hunting-mode in search for tickets for An Evening With SellaBand. Buy so many Parts in so and so and you can get my tickets. Not quite sure if that’s the spirit of SellaBand, but there were no rules or regulations set for winning a pair of tickets, so there you go. Meanwhile Maitreya was waiting for his official countdown to begin, but although the 40K is well within reach, it took him a bit longer than his predecessors to get there. We’re all still rooting for him to reach the full $50,000 before he gets on a plane to London this Sunday. Nearfield were inspired by one of the banners on SellaBand and dubbed it ‘Jackass Daniels’. Now that ís the right SellaBand ‘spirit’, just like the ‘Hurray we’re six months on SellaBand’ celebration from our ever optimistic friends in Black Jack. In the afternoon of Monday the 28th of May, Artist number 4,000 singed up to SellaBand. The honour goes to Raufaser, a band from the Netherlands, but before we get overexcited; 24 hours after signing up they have yet to add a picture and a bio, which unfortunately is still common practice among a lot of newcomers. Only time will tell if they will ever catch the spirit we were just talking about…
The Other Side Of…
Kane Sole
In which we offer our artists the opportunity to show you there is more to them than ‘just’ the music. This week the man who we refer to as ‘The Original Kiwi’, none other than Kane Sole…
What is your full name?
Kane Sole
Date & place of birth?
May 20th, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Where do you live?
Seoul, South Korea
Do you have a job?
Like most foreigners here in Korea I'm teaching English, we (my partner and I) are nearing the end of our 1 year contract. The year has really flown by and It's been great to experience a such a different culture. I'm really looking forward to getting back to normality and down to business though.
What are your hobbies?
I love to surf, safe to say there hasn't been much of that this year haha. I'm also a complete movie addict, love listening to new music, am partial to a bit of Frisbee, and enjoy whacking a tennis ball around...In fact I do recall a Lycra clad German guy laying down a challenge a while back...whenever you ready Kirt haha!
Favorite food?
There's this wicked Korean dish called Dak Galbi(see pic), it's basically a spicy chicken stir fry, and has been the root of some mad cravings lately. Knowing that we'll be stopping over in NZ again soon I can't stop thinking about a bacon backfire and some Kumara chips from Burger Fuel too, Maitreya mentioned that joint a while back....anyone traveling around NZ HAS to stop in at Burger Fuel! (insert Homer sound here)
Kane's favorite dish: Dak Galbi
Holiday destination?
I fell in love with Thailand when Eva and I went there not long ago, and have since made plans to return. It's such a gorgeous place, stunning beaches, lovely food, friendly people....what else could you ask for. Our time here is so short though, I'd love to push pause for a few years and just travel, experience everything this planet has to offer.
All time favorite artist?
Man, this question is like what's your favorite song! I think they're my two most loathed questions haha. Every time I'm introduced to someone new I like they get put on high rotation....grrrrh OK, If pushed into a corner and there where no windows or shovels in sight I'd have to say Ben Harper, he's the artist I've listened to most extensively. His melody lines, and more intimate arrangements are simply brilliant
All time favorite book?
The Hobbit, it was the first book I read with little words and had me flicking the pages like one of those money counting machines.
All time favorite movie?
Pulp Fiction, there are so many great lines in that film! 'Royal w cheese' still makes me laugh...great sound track too.
Best friend?
My lady, Eva
Love of your life?
Family and music
Do you have anything to declare?
Thank you all my believers for your continued support, you guys rock! Cheers Pim and the team for initiating this fantastic movement! I don't have anything whimsical or profound to say, just smile.