Category: #SKOPELIFE

Say Hi is the brain child of Eric Elbogen. As the single official member of Say Hi Elbogen is a one man music making machine. On his records he plays the instruments, sings and then puts it all together.

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Conor Oberst has come a long way from the early cassette recordings of a sensitive boy with a wavering voice and a knack for poetic storytelling. He has grown up both emotionally and musically and has also become quite the confident stage performer.

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Skope TV was fired up on Friday night as we got a call from a rising star in R&B/Urban music. Coming from the Bronx, NY is Vin Keatin and his new EP, ‘Certified.’ With songs like “Baby Making Music” and “I Wanna” it will not be long until music fans all over the world are…

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Last Friday night Skope TV got a call from a rising star in music by the name of Eye’z. Eye’z has been making music all her life and has been pursuing a career in music at a ferocious pace. Eye’z hard work is starting to pay off as she plays two big gigs in LA…

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On Friday night, Skope TV got a visit from a real emcee & his DJ. On this cold night in New England we got to sit down with Rumel and Odi. These guys have been making music for many years now and that culminated to their debut album ‘Digita.’ These guys do their own thing…

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The Carnival Of Madness tour once again brought 7D in front of the metal masses, many who had the opportunity to experience one of the hardest working bands in the biz, get down to business.  

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I’ve decided that there are basically three types of music lovers/concert goers during the Christmas season.   The ones that have seen TSO previously (were impressed and likely recommend and attend again), ones that make it a yearly tradition, and then there are those who are totally oblivious to having a seasonal great time!  

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Jonny started playing guitar at the ripe old age of 12, played sax in junior high, and recorded his first album Smokin’ at age 14.   Talk about putting in the proverbial 110% into his work!   His 2006 release Turn Around enabled him to earn his first Grammy for Best Gospel Album.  

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When artists like Lil Wayne, Enrique Iglesias, and Pitbull just to name a few need a music video done they call on David Rousseau. Skope TV got on the phone with David live from Miami, FL this weekend to talk about this. Join us as David talks about getting his start, what equipment he prefers,…

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Last Friday night Skope TV got a call from Michael Hobby who is the lead singer of A Thousand Horses. This five piece are a bunch of friends that are coming out of Nashville, TN with an exciting rock sound that is keeping fans loyal and attracting new ones with every show they play. Last…

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Friday’s night show at The Earl was a trip — think “Fear and Loathing”. As we were transported back in time to 1973 with the reverb soaked psychedelic rock of The Black Angels and Black Mountain we were witness to the some of the strangest cast of characters and outrageous antics that good East Atlanta…

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  The Skope audience is in for a treat as we got a legend to come on Skope TV last Friday, October 8. We are talking about the legendary Ron Joseph. Ron Joseph is creating major buzz with his new single, “3 O’Clock In The Mornin” and performances all over the west coast. Ron is…

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Hey all you Music Lovers! We’re back at the club with a very special group of folks here tonight. We’re all putting on our highbrow suits, our slinky little black dresses, and our stilettos because we have jazz artists in the house. I’ll take you to meet them in a bit but before that I…

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Yeasayer performed to a packed crowd at Masquerade in Atlanta last Saturday. They delivered their unique mash up of psychedelic rock and Middle Eastern sounds.

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Indie rockers Menomena are playing the Variety Playhouse this Friday. The Portland, Oregon trio comprised of Brent Knopf, Justin Harris and Danny Seim released their first EP called Rose back in 2001. Since then they’ve released four full length albums and a couple EPs.

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Last Sunday was folk night at The Earl where the feminine charm of Laura Veirs, The Watson Twins and L. Alex Guy of Led by Sea came together to lend the night a particular girl power character. These women of indie folk rock offered up the specific beauty of their craft — fragile vocals, heartfelt…

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There was an east coast / west coast connection last week when Skope TV got on the line with Kafani. Kafani aka “Da Ice King” made a grip when he put out the hit “Fast” in 2007. After a few years of touring & guest appearances Kafani is back with new music & videos that…

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On Friday August 20th Skope TV got on the phone with an exciting band that started in Detrout while in high school but now resides in Hermosa Beach, CA. The band we are talking about is Trenchtown and they mix punk, rock, reggae, and dub in a way that is addictive. If you have any…

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This tour features Shinedown, Sevendust, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, and 10 Years.   The groups are of the heavier variety that can also at times expose their softer sides.   The temperature was a Carnival of Madness, a sweltering 89 degrees at show time, with humidity to match for the six-hour marathon.   Remember those…

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Hello, Music Up Close Readers! It’s been a busy summer, and we’ve had all sorts of things happening here at the club. I’ve been in the midst of a virtual book tour for the second book in The Bowdancer Saga called The Wayfarer’s Road. You can grab a copy at www.breathlesspress.com or a kindle version…

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Last Friday night Skope TV got a call from a fresh & exciting voice to hit the R&B/Pop scene. Coming out of the Bay area is Xymphoni. Xymphoni has been singing since a young girl but she is taking her career to a whole new level with the release of her album, ‘Driven.’ Join us…

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Well, howdy, folks. I’m back from a much needed break while renovations continue here at the clue. I did a little traveling, ate some good food, saw some folks I hadn’t seen in years, and took some great nature photos for my new book trailers coming out this month and next. While I was exploring…

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A lot of bands debate on whether or not to hire their own sound guy or just do the sound setup themselves. If were talking quality venues – most professionals will in fact bring their own sound guy on tour with them. This keeps thing consistent show to show.

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Hello, Music Up Close readers, we are finally back up and operating once more. The construction to our virtual club is finally finished, and I’m ready to get this place hopping again. And what a way to reopen our doors and show our wider focus than with a full slate of world music artists!

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Many bands have learned the power of “word of Mouth” via an effective Street Tea. Street Teams’ are a powerful promotional tool that has been adopted industry wide as a standard line item in marketing budgets by entertainment companies, record labels, the tech industry, corporate brand marketers, new media companies and direct marketers worldwide.

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What is a rock star? — A stereotypical rock star is someone who by nature is somewhat dangerous, not very politically correct, and relatively out of control. A Rock Start is not afraid of controversy. in fact they feel empowered when they push the envelope as far as they possibly can, regardless of consequence, and…

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You Say Party! We Say Die!(YSP!WSD!) played the tiny East Atlanta club, The Earl, on Monday. They brought a mishmash of new wave dance shimmer and punk swagger to the small stage. Becky Ninkovic danced on her toes – the pint-sized singer was energetic and pranced around the stage in a gold shiny top and…

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Sure being a roadie is the toughest job in the Music Business, but keep you head up, you might be a Rock Star one day.

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Many newcomers are unaware of their responsibilities towards the venue, people in the crowd, and even opening acts. Having an incident occur during the show could have disastrous consequences as you are trying to build a reputation regionally as a professional.

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A&R reps also look for artists who are proactive and possess a strong work ethic. In other words Motivation. Will the members of the band continue to work hard at creating own opportunities once they get signed or will they rely entirely on their label to do everything for them?

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It’s important to note that A&R’s also rely heavily on referrals from established bands, record label scouts, friends and relatives of industry executives, reputable producers, managers, attorneys, and publishing companies as well. In other words their friends and networking.

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Happy February, my dear readers. In honor of the month of love, I am showcasing women at the virtual club here at Music Up Close with Janie. Though there are so many artists we could bring to you, I wanted to offer you some new emerging talents and a very classy lady that you may…

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A&R Representatives is an acronym for (Artists and Repertoire) are record company personnel whose job it is to discover new talent and help develop careers. This is the gatekeeper to your deal. Chances are if your music is good, there is a A&R looking for it right now.

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Once again the bottom line is money. Business ventures are designed to make money plain and simple. I’m not trying to make you a businessman, I’m trying to show you how this Industry operates. An A&R Representative must look for new ways to make money all the time to keep their careers alive.

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In the Music Business a “handshake” or verbal agreement is quite acceptable, not to mention it can even be used in the court of law. However when things don’t go according to plan, I’ve seen the golden handshake turn into bad situations in a hurry, especially when the things that don’t go as planned involve…

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O.K. how about for now we put aside the Limousine, the Hot tub parties & Playboy Mansion Invitations, and set a much more realistic goal for yourself. Let’s start by making a career for yourself an Independent Artists first and foremost. If your band does not gross a million dollars on the local live circuit…

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Welcome to a new decade, music lovers! We are starting off the year a little late due to some major internet and computer problems and some remodeling here at the Music Up Close Club. That’s why you hear all of that hammering and the buzz drone of drills. We’re changing up things here so that…

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If you expect to make a lot of money off your own concert tour, you’re likely to be extremely disappointed. By the time the venue’s concert promoters, ticket vendors, road crew, support staff, various equipment rentals take their cuts, coupled with transportation costs living expenses,   food are covered, there may not be as much…

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How important is touring and gigging to getting your band noticed? Apart from Professional Radio airplay it’s probably the most effective thing you can do to get your band recognized by a mass group of people. Mass groups of people means mass amounts of money.

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Happy Holiday All You Music Lovers! We have really spruced up the club this month and are showing off some really great Christmas albums to make your holidays merrier.   Plus we have a great feature on the repatriation of Haitian music–a sort of regifting back to the people of that country, based on the…

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