Lost in translation ?
Open letter from Clémence
After receiving several e-mails from concerned Believers and after reading a thread on the Forum about her upcoming SellaBand album, Clémence decided to write and open letter to SellaBand. The significance of her message prompted us to use this opportunity and share Clémence’s thoughts with all of you in this Tribune…
By Clémence
First of all, even though some of you may not have experienced the emotion you were expecting, I can assure you that mine was immense, in front of all of you united in the mythical Paradiso. I felt completely transported, on a cloud, more than happy to be there, with goosebumps and often tears in my eyes, and much too overwhelmed by this magical moment to start jumping around or even make a long speech…
Luckily, many of you did recognize my emotion, like the wonderful Mark from Second Person, who held me tight to comfort me after my performance, and all the others, like Johan, Pim, and many more from the crowd, who just came straight to me to congratulate and encourage me. It is important for me as well to specify that, thank God, I of course, fully understand the English lyrics of my songs, and how could anyone imagine that I don’t, since I have decided to keep the translation of my lyrics as close as possible to their original meaning in French, since I love them so much.
I am fully aware, of course, that singing in English requires a lot of work and there is room still, to improve myself, but it is only the beginning… and I feel confident! However, amongst my Believers, there is someone who understands exactly how everything is evolving for me, and that is my very dear Empire of One. He indeed, explains very well how SellaBand offered me a wonderful opportunity to broaden my audience with singing a few tracks in English… since it would be for him the only way he could ever hear me as he turns on the radio..
Therefore we have decided - and since the beginning Johan and Adam have been involved – to work with Haydn Bendall especially, to produce my album, that I would record some of my songs in English and that the others would remain in French. This decision has not changed. I would never want to disappoint my Believers, and it is out of the question to remove from the project the essence of what made you Believe in me and if for that I must keep in this album mostly French songs, then I will!
We have already recorded part of the arrangements at Metropolis Studios in London, and we will record the songs in Paris, with Haydn beginning of September. I know that I will be giving my best, also in the best conditions, to let flow with ease all the emotion I feel, and never stopped feeling. Moreover, I really wish I had met some of my Believers , but I was where I was asked to be, between Paradiso and the American Hotel… I was there to celebrate with all my heart the Anniversary of SellaBand and all what it represents for me, as a shared human and artistic endeavor. I am not the ‘invisible woman’ , no promenade, no tourism, it was not so difficult to find me ! It was way easier for my Believers to find me, than for me to find them between the crowd... although I tried!
I also didn’t just ‘vanish’ as soon as I had performed; I just stepped away to relax for a short moment with Jonathan Cerrada and his fiancée, and with our dear Stephanie - Brian’s Princess-Private-Girl - who seemed delighted to join us… Then I quickly returned to Paradiso, happy to listen with the crowd , again and again, to our wonderful SellaBand artists. I was also hoping to meet more Believers that I had not had a chance to see so far, especially Walter Braunsteiner, whom I looked for but in vain…
Well, to cut a long story short, I truly do hope that my Believers are not feeling that I have failed their trust. I am here for them and thanks to them, and it is out of the question to disappoint them. It is only, sometimes, a little bit difficult to keep everyone up to date about the things that are not even totally decided yet, or dates that are not yet fixed. It would really be too sad to let a wrong vibe settle in the middle of such an amazing adventure in which we should all remain united.
It is often more efficient to try to understand wisely, and to stay serene and confident, before worrying ; and never forget, for all of you who are supporting them, to allow the Artists as much freedom as possible, with sometimes a little bit of indulgence to support their freshly rising career. I wish more than ever to record a few tracks in English, but that will definitely not exclude from my album, the French songs that make you Believe in me !
Big Kisses to you all,
Love,
Your Clémence.
Live in Leek
While London Rising is catching all the attention, there is another 'unofficial' SellaGig around the corner as well. Also promoting their own event, are three aspiring Dutch SellaBand acts: So What, Awake and Radius. They will be playing together on Saturday September 1 at De Punt1 in a town called Leek.
Look it up on the map and you will find this village in the province of Groningen, NL, home territory of Nemesea. Doors will be open at 8PM, and if you buy your tickets in advance they will only cost €2,50 a piece. So, for the price of a pint of lager, you can witness three great live bands. Special guesting will be Mandyleigh on her last day in the Netherlands, before she flies back to Australia, so all the more reason to go to Leek this Saturday...
Adam's Apples
More pointers in the right direction from your master of the Telecaster.
Rox Clayton Scott
Now this is something special - a really great voice and three excellent songs in a soulful rocky vein from this young British singer and her band's unreleased and self-financed album. That $50K can't be far away when people start hearing this, so believe now and be one of the first.
Playlist: The Way I Feel.
N'Kenge
A well trained and highly motivated singer/songwriter from New York City with plenty of stage, musical and opera experience. N'Kenge Simpson's tracks sound polished and catchy (although what happened to 'Everything To Me?') All this talent and she's a friend of our very own Pimster too - some girls have all the luck.
Playlist: Goosebump Moment.
Electric Snake
Wouldn't bet the house on these guys going too far but this four piece oh-so-retro blues rock band from Poland is a whole lotta fun especially on 'Beer Bar Boogie'. And there just aren't enough songs with 'Boogie' in the title anymore.
Playlist: Beer Bar Boogie (what else!)
Nina
Catchy Rock-Lite from the Dutch team of singer Nina and producer Wil Vanthoor. Nothing original but it's enjoyable and infectious music that could well find a lot of support. As MaWa so aptly says: "What's not to like?"
Playlist: Miss You.
Feedback and stuff: adam@sellaband.com
Q + A
Confused5
In the wake of SolidTube, several other Austrian acts have become (very) active and successful on SellaBand. Confused5 are outspoken as they are involved. And they even plan to organize their own SellaBand event, so over the best thing to come out of Salzburg since the Mozartkugel…
Who are Confused5?
“We are 5 confused guys. OK, seriously, a long time ago Krana, Herbert and Markus had a dream: to write and play their own songs and to get many listeners from all over the world. Now, some years later, the 3 of us decided to revive the dream and we started to make music again. The band ‘Confusion’ was founded together with Kurt and Michael and - surprisingly - we did quite well in and around our home city Salzburg.”
What made you join SellaBand?
“There was a prominent article in the biggest daily newspaper in Salzburg (which can be found in the archive of the fabulous ‘Club’ from Rey Gamba). Markus’ wife showed it to him and they started checking and were finally convinced. This was just a few days before ‘Confusion’ had planned to record a CD and to present it on the 9th of November at the 'Rockhouse' in Salzburg. So, change of plan and we decided to record the songs and to upload them to SellaBand. Unfortunately, there are many bands named ‘Confusion’, two on SellaBand alone, that’s why Markus started to draw up a 'Masterplan' (Spoiler: see below). First we had to change our band name and "ConFused5" is what we came up with.”
You've been with us now for almost three months. Still having fun?
“Oh, yes indeed, we are having a lot of fun and it is getting better from week to week. Meeting so many interesting people, Believers, Artists and SellaBand staff who all have one common interest, is worth sitting hour after hour in front of a computer."
How much of your time do you dedicate to SellaBand?
“Quite a lot. Markus has an office job, so - if you promise not to tell - he has, frankly speaking, some possibility to check SellaBand from time to time during the day. Since we put the ‘ConFused5’ artist profile up, our computers at home are online most of the time.”
Tell us about your plans for a SellaBand gig in Salzburg in November 9th.
“As we already said, we planned the Rockhouse gig before we joined SellaBand. Instead of recording our own CD ourselves, but reaching out for a higher level with the SellaBand budget, we started thinking about a show together with other Sellaband artists. Actually Docnik - who guided us together with MaWa through our start phase on SellaBand - asked us: "How can we do something together?" So the answer was easy, why not making "Roll over Austria" in Salzburg with a line-up of Lorraine Jones, Solidtube and ConFused5. Together we hope to welcome a lot of Sellabanders, to present a great show and finally to have a nice Austrian aftershow party with sausages and beer (CU Pieps ;)).”
What is it about Austrians that they seem to love SellaBand so much?
“Sellaband had very good media coverage in Austria. All 4 big daily newspapers and the main Austrian telestation ORF (online issue) reported about SellaBand. When we started, from Austria only Solidtube was really active, but now also Kontrust are getting a grip and Rooga is running up as well - in only 3 month from just one active artists to four, that alone gets the 'word of mouth' out four times more - and Austrian power moves on and on...”
Are there any other SellaBands you particularly like?
“Have a look at the Believer profile of "Markus from ConFused5". We found a lot of good friends here and it would be unfair to single some out. We also like all the collaborations between artists on SellaBand, that really benefits these artists and SellaBand.”
Why should people Believe in Confused5?
First and foremost you should believe in ConFused5 because you like what you hear.
Secondly we want to point out, that "the dream is still alive" and we will pursue it. SellaBand is a great place to ask for a listen and to get feedback. Invest now one part into a CD you like to hear in the future.
Last but not least, right from the beginning we had a masterplan and here it is:
1) We had to rename our band - done.
2) Getting to know SellaBand, the community and promote the band's name - done, with starting as the believer ‘Markus from ConFused5’ and believing in the artists Markus likes.
3) Relaunch our website (http://www.confused5.com) to make it fit for an international audience - in progress.
4) Upload the music, wait for reactions and don't put in all your own money for quickly appearing on page 2 or 3 before anyone really knows you. Let the people get to know you and find some, who like our music. Start the journey - this journey is now.
5) Have more fun on Sellaband, learn more, get known better and go steady to 50k - hopefully in progress.
6) Invest in our own recording as well - we truly believe, we can sell more than 5000 CDs. Maybe we won't earn a fortune, but we are positive to earn money with this production. And we are in this together, if it doesn't work out, we will lose money as well. Watch out, during the next weeks, ‘Markus from ConFused5’ will become one of the biggest Believers in ConFused5.
7) The last point of this masterplan is a promise: we won't take away the master of the recording after year one. We want our Believers to earn money as long as that production can be sold. Even in the unlikely case, that a major wants to produce a new CD with ConFused5, we will ask our Believers if they want to take the option to finance our next CD. We plan to record 9 to 10 songs and - if needed - we pay from our own money the production (Cover, CD, jewel case and other mixes of the songs) of a single CD for the local Austrian market to get airplay. The believers will have a say in choosing the songs for that extra single CD.”
London Rising!
After he took the Dutch bus stops by storm, there was no time for Francis Rodino to rest on his laurels. Now a firm candidate to be officially crowned as the next ‘hardest working man on SellaBand’, Francis and three other UK acts have put together a really exciting new project called London Rising, and even found some time to write about it in this Tribune…
London Rising (www.londonrising.co.uk), the UK's first unofficial Sellaband showcase, will be held next Friday, 7th September at one of London's prime live music venues, Storm, in Leicester Square. This will be a rare chance to see 4 of SellaBand's excellent UK bands, together on the same stage. The fun kicks off with Sunsoma at 8pm, then Trail, Daniel Ward-Murphy, and Francis Rodino Band closing off the evening. The venue stays open late, so please join us for the after-party and a few drinks in the venue.
One of the great things about SellaBand, is how it's not only allowed me to connect with my own believers, but other artists who I admire and respect. I am happy to consider some of these artists my true friends, from jamming with Maitreya, absynthe shots with Lucia Iman, and late nights with the fantastic Bim duet, we all share a common dream - not just 50k on SellaBand, but our passion for music.
For me, it's especially important to ensure that the SellaBand experience is not just an online one, as we need the ability to leverage the exposure that SellaBand has given us by doing gigs and other events. If we make these concerts big, organize events that our believers just can't miss (4 SellaBand acts on the same stage) we have a golden opportunity to spread the word, share our fan bases and develop the SellaBand concept.
And many thanks to SellaBand for supporting these initiatives. While Sellaband is a small company and cannot yet organize gigs around the world, we need to take the initiative and do it ourselves! More people, more exposure, more Believers. The promoters at Storm were thrilled about this concept. Why wouldn't they be? I was able to source the bands, provide an online ticketing system, print 2500 flyers and (hopefully) pack the venue!
Please support SellaBand and the London Rising artists by coming along on the 7th September. You can buy your tickets here >>
Weekly update
Chart analysis
It feels like we’re back in April again this week, with Bulletproof Messenger kicking serious ass on the Weekly Chart. Jumping from 6 to 1 with an increase of almost $3,000 is a very impressive move indeed. Vegas Dragons are doing (almost) equally well, and are moving towards 75% in budget with rapid speed. Time to put away that Turtle image again, Brian… Also keeping momentum are Francis Rodino (#4) and Julia Marcell (#5), still going strong on Page 1. This week’s highest new entry is New York’s N’Kenge (#10), who’s unique blend of Classical and R&B is making some heads turn on SellaBand. The experimental sounds of UK’s Lady Haidee are responsible for the Biggest Gainer of the week (#20 - #10). We also welcome the warm Sunny sounds of Giorgio (#15) from Italy, and the acoustic guitar wizardry of Clem (#19) from the UK . Special mention of the week is for Portugal’s Light, who bows in back at #11, after a lengthy absence from the Weekly Charts. Just like so many musician friends, Elise is still alive and kicking on SellaBand. Let the new season begin…
Wicked: Widgets are coming…
By the end of this week we bring you the long awaited widgets. For those of you who don’t know what a widget is let me explain. A widget is nothing more than a really cool flashy interactive tailor made banner. Because SellaBand is all about music we have made a widget that looks like a stereo system. It is automatically filled with your music your choice on SellaBand. You can find your widget under the promo tools link on your overview page. We have made three variations for you, each serving a different purpose. With the first widget you can help artist reach their 50K, the second widget shows who is selling most parts on SellaBand on a real time basis. Last but not least for you shop owners we have created a shop widget that will help you sell your music. Just copy the code into any website you have access to and the widget will emerge on cyberspace.
For people with profiles on MySpace we have made a separate widget. For some dodgy reason MySpace has chosen to block external links in flash applications. Fortunately the links do work in HTML. We have integrated the HTML links in the flash application for this special myspace sellaband widget. So if you choose to spice up your MySpace profile with our widget make sure you take the right one!
Lastly, as you may have noticed, we have just put a nice little feature live: artists can now view their Parts History and check who bought what and when.
SellaBration movie
We want to thank all of you who have uploaded a movie for Sellabration.
The initial idea was to show the video during the concert in Paradiso.
Unfortunately we had technical difficulties at the venue and were unable to show it on the big screen.
As a consolation we've uploaded it on youtube. You can watch it here tonight.
Peatnik’s Poetry
From time to time we like to draw your attention to ‘private’ initiatives related to SellaBand. We cannot send enough praise (and free beers) to ReyGamba for his excellent work on Club SellaBand, and we must have mentioned Imasellabandaddict.com, stat-a-band and beyondtheprofiles.com before on the Tribune. Lately somebody has caught our attention, and deservedly so. We first met Peatnik during London Calling where he shared the stage with Lucia Iman. He has written several stories related to SellaBand in his blog and does so with a passion for music, inside knowledge and a dry sense of humor. In other words, the man has the gift of words. Check out his latest blog, here. A pleasure to read and we just wanted to share this with all of you…
The Week That Was
So, have you all recovered from the ‘Wallpaper Design Shock’? We barely have… All joking aside, it actually was a pretty healthy week on SellaBand, with almost $25,000 worth of new Parts bought/sold, just like the average we had before the European Summer settled in. Some pretty useful discussions going on on the Forum as well, until ‘Camp Mysti’ spawned a controversial new Believer on Friday. He/she came and went within a few hours, causing turmoil among some community members, but creating lots of laughter at SellaBand HQ in Amsterdam. Relatively new to the ‘Forum Phenomenon’ as we are, we can now proudly say that we too have been ‘trolled’…. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Top 2 of our Artist Search, Vegas Dragons and Bulletproof Messenger shifted into the next gear, as they rose above $35,000 and $30,000 in budget respectively. The bets are now on; when can we uncork the next bottle(s) of champagne? We’re banking on September and would like to see another additional 5 artists reaching 50K before the end of the year. Are we becoming too ambitious? Let's see what happens...
Office Powerplay
We cannot state it enough: The people who make up the SellaBand Team are big music lovers too. And we feel an ever growing need to share our discoveries with you. So, playing loud on the SellaBand HQ stereo this week have been:
Chris: The Last Grand – When Tomorrow Comes
Dagmar: The Arrangements – Mr. Frazier
Pim: N’Kenge – Goosebump Moment
Yvonne: Vegas Dragons - Hacker
The Other Side Of…
BPM’s DJ Skuba
What is your full name?
Matthew K. Litwin
Date & place of birth?
05/29/1984 - Long Island, NY
Where do you live?
Currently I live in Long Island, about 40 minutes from NYC (which I'm "fortunate" enough to commute to every day)
Do you have a job?
Well someone needs to pay the bills and buy me new gear so unfortunately I need to keep a real job... I work as an accountant for a pretty big company, actually the same one Frans works for in NL.
What are your hobbies?
Music, washing my car, kicking various asses at tiger woods on x-box (names not to be mentioned), happy hours, and oh, the "Pastry Arts", well no not really, but I enjoy eating them.
Favorite food?
Candy... and we can have a niiiice long debate if you don't think candy is a "food".
Holiday destination?
Well, truthfully, I'm not really a world traveler (except for the London Gig), but if i had to choose, I'd say a nice beach somewhere.
All time favourite artist?
I like a lot of artists, anything from electronic to rock so it would be hard to choose. Though at the end of the day I would have to say BPM.... (is that self centered???)
All time favourite book?
DaVinci Code
All time favourite movie?
I don't have a "favourite" (silly english and their spelling)..but my Favorite one is Silence of the Lambs, actually the whole series is good (except Hannibal Rising, which was terrible)
Best friend?
I hate these last 2 questions since they are loaded... You leave someone out you're in trouble.. So besides my buddies in the band and "The Berg"... I'd have to say "Mr. Benjamin Franklin"...
Love of your life?
Loaded question number 2...Mr. Ben Franklin and "The Berg" ;)
Do you have anything to declare?
Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen. Cannonball!