+ NEWS & UPDATES +

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>>>>> LD 1495 TAX BILL TO AFFECT MUSICIANS, BUT HOW? <<<<<

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THE PORTLAND MUSIC FOUNDATION IS LOOKING FOR A FALL INTERN! >>>>>The PMF has an internship position available for the fall of 2010. The position is open to a student currently enrolled at a college or university with an interest in new media marketing and becoming enmeshed with and learning about the various aspects of the music business with which the PMF intersects. Interested parties should send a resume and cover letter, outlining an interest in a career in the music industry, to Joshua Thelin, PMF internship coordinator, at jpthelin@gmail.com

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JIM “J.D.” DROWN, THE TRIBUTE ALBUM >>>>> Jim “J.D.” Drown was one of Maine and New England’s most talented and beloved musical artists, peaking in the late 1970s when J.D. was the heart and soul of the Blend. That band, signed by MCA records, developed legions of fans during an unprecedented eight-year national run for a Maine-based act. After members of the Blend went their separate ways in 1982, J.D. continued to write and perform, ultimately leaving behind an immense and diverse catalogue of music prior to his death from cancer in 2002.

Since that time a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, The Rusty Rocket Corporation, has been founded in J.D.’s honor. Raising money from an annual benefit concert and golf tournament, Rusty Rocket has donated tens of thousands of dollars of musical instruments to needy students. In 2010, Rusty Rocket will take the charity to a new level through the release of TRIBUTE ALBUM featuring J.D.’s music.

Currently, national, regional and local acts are being considered for participation in “Good Friend: A Tribute to the Music of J.D. Drown.” Interested and qualified artists will be allowed to select a song from the J.D. Drown catalogue and have creative control over their interpretation of their selection. The project’s producers and the Drown family will select 10-12 songs for submission in the final album, tentatively scheduled for release in 2010.

Interested artists or bands should submit a email of interest, a resume and demo mp3 to executive producer Paul Tukey at Paul@SafeLawns.org.

Production support for selected songs may be available from the Rusty Rocket Corporation, which will bear the cost of the album. All financial proceeds from sales of the album or individual songs, from any and all sources, shall be retained by the Rusty Rocket Corporation so that it may further its mission of making musical instruments and musical education available to students in need.

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MUSICIANS ON MPBN: ACADIA SESSIONS KICKED OFF MAY 8 >>>>> Maine Public Broadcasting has launched the debut of the Acadia Sessions, a new documentary series looking at the Portland and New England music scene, focusing on the stories behind the bands and the recording process.

Each 30-minute episode documents and explores the interactions of the artists, giving the audience a “behind-the-scenes” look at the relationships between individuals, their songs, their backgrounds, and the song writing process. Via footage of song performances, rehearsals, interviews and candid interactions, presented in a cinéma vérité style, the Acadia Sessions provides a realistic look at what it means to be a working musician in the 21st century. For the first year of broadcast, The Acadia Sessions will focus on New England performers working in diverse genres, from classical music to modern rock.

The season premiere on May 8 featured Spencer and the School Spirit Mafia, and will be followed by The Baltic Sea on May 22, and Dark Hollow Bottling Co. on May 2. Future episodes will feature (in order) Rustic Overtones; Batshelter; Olas; Brzowski, DJ Graymatter and Sandbag; Huak; South China; Peepshow; Boreal Tordu; Phantom Buffalo; and Murcielago.

Go to www.theacadiasessions.com for more information and to preview the next episode. New PMF sponsor Drumshow Productions, which is offering 10 percent off full recording projects to PMF members, assisted with the sound engineering on the show.

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Low-Flying Airplanes
win 2010 Rock Off
Yarmouth High quartet beat out 15 others for title of Best High School Band in Maine

Port City Music Hall played host this past Saturday to the Rock Off Finals, where six bands competed for the title of Best High School Band in Maine in front of more than 300 fans. When the dust had settled, Yarmouth High School band Low-Flying Airplanes were judged best of the lot and took home a prize package that included $1,000 in cash and a suite of other prizes that should get them well on the way to a career in the music business. The event was put on by the non-profit Maine Academy of Modern Music, with help from the Portland Music Foundation and www.MaineToday.com.

Playing a mix of folk rock along the lines of OAR and Dave Matthews Band, with hints of British Invasion and their own distinctive verve, Low-Flying Airplanes also impressed with a solid collection of merchandise, a CD already to their name, and a cadre of fans screaming in the front row. In addition to the cash prize, they also were awarded the opening slot for Saturday night’s 21+ gig with Holy Boys Danger Club and Paranoid Social Club at Port City; a slot to play the Old Port Fest on the Maine Academy of Modern Music stage; and an opening slot for a gig in Boston put on by Rock On Concerts. They’ll also be guests of WMPG’s Jan Wilkinson on her Friday night show “Local Motives,” guests of WCYY’s Mark Curdo on his Thursday night show “Spinout,” get themselves a tour of Gateway Studios from Grammy-winning mastering engineer Adam Ayan, and have a professional bio written by Portland Phoenix music columnist Sam Pfeifle. Other prizes include a $60 gift certificate from Bull Moose Music, graphic design from McGilvry Design, and recording studio time.

In addition to the band prize, the judges also gave out individual awards based on performances throughout the preliminaries and finals of the Rock Off. These included:

Best Keyboardist: Lee Larson, Phantom Companion (Falmouth)

Best Vocalist: Dustin Ellis, Shattick (Calais)

Best Guitarist: Will Maxwell, Pilgrimage (Cheverus HS)

Best Bassist: John Lyden, Mousam River Ramblers (Kennebunk)

Best Drums: David Vitali, The Loudest Mime (Freeport)

Best Miscellaneous Instrument-Violin: Gabe Terracciano, Pilgrimage (Cheverus HS)

Sponsors of the Rock Off included AO Guitars, CIEE, Rokbird Flying Discs, McGillvray Designs, Port City Music Hall and Paranoid Social Club. . Judges were singer/songwriter Pete Kilpatrick; Megan Littlefield, evening host on 98.9 FM WCLZ; Andrew Olson, owner of AO Guitars; Kyle Jongerden, teacher at Bath Middle School and PCMH employee; and Robin Ivy, morning host on 94.3 FM WCYY.

All finalists, which included Midnite Haze, Fyve, the Loudest Mime, the Mousam River Ramblers, and Pilgrimage, also received consulting with members of the Portland Music Foundation’s board of directors, who offered advice on the band’s performance, marketing materials, and next steps in the music industry.

For more information, contact MAMM executive director and founder Jeff Shaw, at jeff@maineacademyofmodernmusic.org

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PMF TIP OF THE MONTH>>>>> Avoiding Avoidance
by Gerald Klickstein @ Music Think Tank

Do you ever dodge your creative work? Say, your practice time arrives, and you race off to do some chore. It might be a chore that you detest, but now it calls to you. Then, instead of refining your music, you start cleaning the house or doing whatever.

If that scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Artists of every sort contend with avoidant behaviors. Why do we sidestep doing what we love? The answer often stems from the nature of creativity.

When we practice, write, or otherwise innovate, we stretch our limits. We strive.

But striving takes us into the unknown, and that brings uncertainty. We question whether a lyric will fly, a promotion will succeed, or a solo will be ready in time for a show.

If the uncertainty of creating unsettles us, then, to escape the discomfort, we might seek refuge in a mindless task: “This really needs doing,” we’ll congratulate ourselves as we reach for the mop.

Fortunately, there’s an antidote to avoidance.

First we have to notice an avoidant thought before we fall under its spell. Next we must act to do what we intend.

For instance, not long ago I was heading home to practice a demanding piece, and as I neared my front door I spotted some overgrown bushes: “I should put on my boots and cut those back,” I reasoned. (By the way, I loathe yard work.)

A moment later, as one part of me was sizing up the shrubbery, I caught myself. I recognized the avoidant thought for what it was. I then renewed my passion for the music I was tackling and dashed to my studio and tuned up my guitar. Avoidance avoided.

As I see it, we’re all going to have avoidant thoughts, so we need to keep countermoves handy. Here’s my anti-avoidance formula:

Counter Avoidance
1. Notice an avoidant thought.
2. Dispute it. (Laugh at yourself or just say “no.”)
3. Replace it with an affirmation: “Music feeds my soul.”
4. Act with full intention.

 

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