On the set for Roba’s newest video, “Miserable.” A great song featuring myself on the bass guitar.

During my last trip to Miami, among other things, I was hired to play bass in the latest music video for Latin Singer RobA (Robert Avellanet). The song was titled Miserable off his latest release Jet Privado. Please visit www.robaonline.net for further details on the LP.

The shoot went great and it was a pleasure working with Director Richard Gibson www.richardgibson.tv. Among other folks where several Miami musicians and a few dancers and models. The vibe was great and high energy. All my parts where shot in super high speed, so I must have looked like a madman jumping around, but I’m sure that where they slow it down, it’ll give the effect they were looking for. Gibson guitars provided the gear for the video and I ended up playing an SG Bass in black through an old fender cabinet from a prop shop. haha! 

The experience gave me the chance to work with and meet a bunch of new friends and fellow musicians. Robert was very kind in welcoming us and making me feel comfortable on the set. I’ll be updating this post shortly with the video link. In the meantime, check out RobA’s music, it’s quite good. He used to be part of the group Menudo (aka Ricky Martin’s group as well), his solo stuff is very matured and rocking!

Below is a list of links that I think are quite helpful to y’all musicians. On a rainy day; such as the one I’m experiencing in LA right now, looking over these can lead to a productive time. Sit on your favorite couch, mute That 70’s Show and get to work!

www.velvetrope.com
The main forum is a place for frank discussion of music industry happenings and rumors

www.redvelvet.com
e-commerce platform tailored to the requirements of the music industry

www.cmj.com
Authority on new music, college radio and music industry charting

www.sonicbids.com
These guys your EPK (Electronic Press Kit)

www.musicianmag.com
Billboard Musician’s Guide to Touring & Promotion

www.allmusic.com
Music reviews, new releases, artists biography and much more

www.copyright.gov
Register your music!

www.home.soundscan.com
For tracking CD sales

www.bmi.com
www.ascap.com
www.sesac.com
These are Performing Rights Organizations, they collect money for you from TV performances and Radio Play

www.cdbaby.com
The largest online distributor of independent music

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.
Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

Last night, I was asked what my favorite Christmas song was and although I dig so many of them, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas resonates the most. It was first published in 1943 and written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine, although Martin says that Blaine encouraged him to write the song, but had nothing to do with writing it. Judy Garland immortalized the song in the movie Meet Me in St. Louis.

Eiza González

Toma media vuelta, y te quedas con tu tierra y en paz, una vida hoy espera, donde no tienes lugar. Esta carretera me libera poniendo a todo motor, puse lo que venga lo que sea, si no estás ya es mejor, con cada kilómetro va quedando atrás su vuella… by Eiza González

Last week, I had the pleasure to work with EMI Recording Artist/Mexican Actress, Eiza González. I was contracted by EMI to put together a group for Eiza’s presentation for Walmart’s Soundcheck Acceso Total. We performed four tracks from her upcoming release at Los Angeles’ famed Center Staging. The Director was Rik Reinholdtsen and the Producer was Fernando Soto, both great guys to work with on this lovely shoot.

Eiza González is a Mexican-born singer/acctress who starred in the melodrama Lola…Érase una vez, where she played Lola. Shortly after, she released an album in correlation with the show. Fast-forward to 2009 and Eiza has finished working on her first solo album titled, Contracorriente. The album is set to be released early 2010 through the EMI Latina Label. I’ve previewed the record and it sounds great. It’s jam-packed with pop/rock ditties and and ballads that are sure to please her fans and pick up more supporters along the way. Note: Eiza has also had a role in the films Esta Es Mi Familia and Vidas Al Máximo.

The songs that we performed: Mi Destino Soy Yo, Impredicible, Perdiendolo Todo, & Caminare. The performance can be streamed next month, by visiting http://soundcheck.walmart.com/acceso-total/eiza. The band is as follows: Drums – Danilo Arroyo, Bass – Jon Draper, Keys – Mick Utley, Backup Vocals – Julie Zorrilla, Guitar – Myself.

A good friend of mine has been giving me amazing Italian recipes and I thought I’d share this one with you, as I will be heading home to prepare this meal for lunch.

Paola’s Tuna and Olive Pasta

Ingredients: onions (red or white), tomatoes (cut into small pieces), olives (pitted), can of tuna (in oil), hot pepper spice, salt & pepper, and pasta (I prefer Rigatoni or Penne). 

1. Bring a pot of well-salted water to boil over high heat and add your pasta.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in skillet over medium-low heat (note: when heating olive oil, you want to cook with lower heat). Add onions and cook until they start getting a bronze color. Add the tomatoes and mash them when they’re a very soft, this is going to be the base of your sauce. After letting your sauce absorb the onions for a few minutes, add olives and then Tuna. Make sure to shred the tuna with a fork before tossing it in the saucepan. After cooking the olives and tuna for a few minutes, add a little heavy cream. Stir until your sauce gets thicker, adding your spices along the way. 

3. Once your pasta has cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce. Toss vigorously and serve! Don’t forget to grate some parmesan cheese over your dish.

Note: I don’t bother too much with exact measurements, I just play it by ear. I encourage you to experiment with all your recipes and remember that less is more.

The Westar EPK

A helpful tool for artists to have is an EPK (or Electronic Press Kit). In business, EPK’s are internet-accessible, media packages that contain all the information about the artist. They’re your online business card. Keep them up-to-date, looking professional and make sure they represent you accurately.

Any Musician’s Survival Guide, will insist that you have an EPK. Nowadays, it’s much more efficient to e-mail promoters you’re EPK rather than driving to the post office and shipping your materials the old-fashioned way. I’m finding that more and more promoters prefer e-mail submissions rather than sorting through mail packages.

I highly recommend that you avoid submitting your myspace page as your EPK, they take too long to load. The best solution I’ve seen for creating EPKs is through Sonicbids.com, they’re fast to load and don’t have a bunch of banners with links to other things that aren’t related to your band.

Your EPK should contain: at least one professional photo of the artist, biography, press-clippings, contact info, tour schedule (or prior tour schedule) and a demo CD. Now, it’s always a good idea to add a little flair to your EPK, perhaps go with a theme such as, old newspaper or restaurant menu. You want your EPK to stand out to these people who spend hours reviewing band submissions.

I will go into more detail about writing a good artist bio and discuss band photos in the near future, but I really wanted to share with you the value of EPKs. Let’s say that you’ve just started a band and want to get a few gigs around town. Well, I would start with a demo, photo, bio and create an EPK. Forward your EPK link to promoters (often a promoter’s email address can be found on a club’s web-page) and if it’s sharp enough and makes an impression, I guarantee you will get booked. Good luck!