Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Red Handed And Renata Are Three Bands Signed to Virgin Records

MP3s to download:

“Face Down” by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (Demo version, before signing to Virgin Records with a gold selling debut)

“These Are The Days” by a new South Carolina band called Red Handed, also signed to Virgin Records. Sounds like a more whiney Foo Fighters. They’re managed by our industry friend Jerrod Wilkins at Gold Mountain Management (Duncan Sheik, Bonnie Raitt).

“Pictures of You” by Hartford, CT band Renata. Hey this is the third band with an ‘R’ that’s been signed to Virgin Records. They’re also signed to Zomba Publishing. Jeff Blue, the guy who signed Linkin Park, developed this band through his production company Blue Ladder.

*All this a Virgin Records America ploy to beef up the true rock department they’ve never had. An unofficial scorecard of their rock success reads: We Are Scientists struck out commercially, The Summer Obsession has done nothing, KORN is not exactly a new breaking act, the unknown band Over It is short on sales, and Ima Robot have not one…but two sluggish sellers since 2003. That leaves the 600,000 selling 30 Seconds To Mars in addition to old timer Lenny Kravitz and The Starting Line, the latter two presently unactive. Note: this report doesn’t include licensed UK acts such as KT Tunstall and Gorillaz.

What The Fray Sounded Like Before They Sold 1.5 Million Records

It’s a little known fact that in August 2004 Epic Records/Sony talent scout Daniel Davis downloaded The Fray’s Vienna MP3 (demo version) on my old website DemoDiaries. He emailed me asking for the band’s contact. Three months later Epic signed The Fray to a recording contract. Now two years later, their debut CD has sold 1.5 million (on its way to 2x platinum in the U.S. alone). They are currently nominated for two Grammy awards. Joe King, The Fray’s guitarist, wrote me a letter back in the old days:

Gary, One of the [Epic] scouts in NY came across ‘Vienna’ on your site. He then played in a meeting in NY with the president. They loved it, and sent Mike [Flynn] out to the show. They didn’t have a press kit or CD it was just off that one song. - Joe King, August 18, 2004

Remi Nicole “Rock n’ Roll” MP3

For this full post and download visit here.

New Band from Merseyside, UK – EMI and Phonogenic Records Pursuing Them

You ought check out this new track “Time” by the fellas from Haydock, UK. Lovely anthem suitable for American TV – any of the J.J. Abrams produced shows (‘What About Brian’, ‘Six Degrees’ – albeit rumor is this one is canceled). Use it for a series trailer or better yet season finale. EMI Publishing and Phonogenic/SonyBMG are already texting them to get a headstart prior to the new year holiday. This is up your alley if you like Stereophonics meets Coldplay meets Ryan Adams.

Chris Daughtry, One Degree Of Separation

Can’t say I know Daughtry personally. But I’ve crossed paths with all the record execs that put his debut album together. Like many other American Idol losing contestants of the past, his CD is rapidly on its way to platinum status (800,000 sales to date).

The folks behind Daughtry? In part: Pete Ganbarg, Gregg Wattenberg and Brian Howes. Pete is one of the first folks I met in my A&R endeavors. He has signed and/or performed A&R duties for everyone from Vanilla Ice to Santana to Run DMC to Adema to Daughtry (for the umpteenth time, A&R is Artist & Repertoire). I had launched a site called Demo Diaries pre blog era and many biz folks took to it quite nicely. Shortly after this, Ganbarg was kind enough to invite me to known NYC celebrity haven Friar’s Club for lunch. We discussed possible partnering on an A&R venture but I decided to go it alone at first since I had just begun. Currently Pete is running a consultant/indie music company called Puretone Music.

Gregg Wattenberg, well, he gave me a ring this past summer to discuss A&Ring for Wind Up Records (Creed, Evanescence). He produced Five For Fighting’s “Superman” and co-wrote the Daughtry single “It’s Not Over”. In August, we had some good sushi and talked shop. I believe he’s signed to EMI Publishing as a writer in addition to being a Senior VP at Wind Up.

Brian Howes. He’s one I haven’t met in person but I know he asked to be on my emailer early last year. He’s been in the biz for quite some time now and really struck a chord producing platinum, mainstream rockers Hinder. Howes co-write a couple of tracks on the Daughtry debut and is signed to EMI Publishing. I heard he also signed a major label production deal recently after the Hinder success.

UK Booking Agent Russell Warby Joins William Morris Agency, London

Russell Warby defects from The Agency Group to William Morris’ new London offices January 2, 2007. Warby handles the UK booking for many famous bands including Foo Fighters, The Strokes, The White Stripes, and The Raconteurs. WMA office will be located at Centrepoint, Tottenham Court Road Tube.

Samsa, The Last of the Prog Punk Breed

Leeds gave us Forward, Russia. They defected to the Mute/EMI record label sacrificing nothing but a used van with high mileage and some wear on the tread? Next comes Samsa, also from the West Yorkshire UK region. Again you’ll be subjected to that twangy, low stripped passion with sidling crumbs of sincerity and maudlin nostalgia. Samsa has not forgotten about real guitars, real amps, and unabashed snapshots of the working class canon. Watch for use of their song “The Fight” on several upcoming American TV shows.

Alberta Cross, Bell X1

London’s Alberta Cross played to industry execs last night including booking agent Russell Warby (Strokes, White Stripes, Foo Fighters) and others. Their new roots approach fits comfortably with Devendra Banhart, Radiohead or The Jayhawks. Download Song.

Bell X1 is Ireland’s third biggest band trailing U2 and Snow Patrol. 6x platinum is their most recent CD “Flock”. Currently unsigned for U.S. and Europe at large. To cap their most recent tour, they played to a 9,000 hometown crowd. Download Bad Skin Day.

William Morris Agency To Launch London Music Division

David Levy and Ed Bicknell will assume executive responsibilities at the William Morris Agency’s newly chartered London music division. The booking roster is already in the making and may include Jamelia, Take That, Girls Aloud, and Prodigy.

Frazer, Will The UK Ever Care About Hip Hop?

London pop rapper Frazer is getting chummy with Brit music executives. Yet with continued reluctance on hip hop as a viable seller in the UK, no one will step forward presently. Why? Media and creative folks including Xfm radio’s Eddy Temple Morris and buzzing Remi Nicole producer Johnny Douglas have worked with and supported Frazer this past year only to find out there’s a new round of relevant interest coming from big name producers over in the States. Incidentally, as an export, Brit urban music’s rate of success in the U.S. compared to that of Brit rock is almost non existent when you take a closer look. This isn’t saying much considering there’s generally a consistent Yank backlash towards anglo rooted rock as well (with the noted exceptions of Radiohead, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Keane).

What would it take for the North American audience to embrace a new face other than Mike Skinner (The Streets)? There’s been little U.S. interest in the UK Grime movement — heck there’s been little UK interest in this underground genre from a mass commercial perspective, yea? Part of the reason for the lack of U.S. success may be that the UK production values for hip hop/urban tend to trail what’s happening in the American scene by more than a few years shall we say. The U.S. stars are probably more successful exporting their goods simply because most are “wrapped” up in a disguised format of crossover pop, cross promotion, image and fashion projection, and aptly timed publicity. What did work internationally for the Brits at one point was sugar coating “beats” music with synth and electronic nuances resulting in artists like Massive Attack, Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, Faithless and Tricky etc. Or better yet (sales-wise), editing a brief MC bridge into a song by an act like the Spice Girls or Sugababes.

Some of the most well known modern rock bands (The Strokes, The Killers) literally modeled their sound around 70s and 80s Brit songwriters subsequently exporting themselves to the UK for a test run followed by a return to the States to both critical and commercial gain. Can UK rap artists reverse this strategy -or- because they’re not from the loins of hip hop’s insurgent communities NY, LA and Oakland they’ll never be tolerated as the genuine article? For now, Frazer may be taking a step in the right direction.

Video of the Day: “Don’t Fear” by MAPS

Don’t Fear Video by MAPS.

Peter Conway Signed to ATC Management

London crooner Peter Conway recently signed with Kwame Kwaten/ATC Management. ATC is known for guiding the careers of Nine Black Alps, Gemma Hayes, 22-20s and Rollo Armstrong (brother and producer to superstar Dido). Fans of Richard Hawley, Richard Ashcroft, Bruce Springsteen and Bono may gravitate towards Conway’s gradual melodies and fireside narratives — balmy lullabyes for the winter season.

To the UK media readers viewing this, please email GarySavelson.com to discuss “name sponsoring” a major online competition that will award a local, aspiring video/film maker the chance to shoot a prominent UK artist’s first video.