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| House of Blues Lends Muscle to Independent Artists Although House of BluesÒ Entertainment, Inc. has become a concert promotion giant in recent years, the company remains true to a core philosophy, “Unity In Diversity, ” an idea that helped spawn an exciting new program, “Ones To Watch.” This progressive new artist series, designed to reward developing, talented musicians with a worldwide platform from which to share their art, will also give true music fans an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the creative process undertaken by lesser known artists in an effort to gain recognition for their music. “Ones To Watch” will expose music fans to new sounds and the personalities behind them with an online micro-site www.hob.com/onestowatch/ loaded with artist bios, photos, website links and free downloads from each one of the featured artists. The ongoing program will highlight five artists at a time…artists who have produced their own records, artists who are selling records from the trunks of their cars, artists who are not signed to major labels, artists who are driven by their love of music and who are making daily sacrifices to enable the creative process will be featured prominently. "It's great to finally see a company founded on music putting its money where its mouth is. By supporting the evolving voices of the enduring American Dream, House of Blues is a maverick in the race to liberate and elevate music in this age of digital revolution, " says Vonyse, a soul artist from Indianapolis whose voice is worthy of Aretha Franklin comparison and one of the first of the original five currently featured as a “Ones To Watch” on www.hob.com/onestowatch/ In conjunction to accessing the website, music aficionados will get to know “Ones To Watch” artists through House of Blues’ first foray into Podcasting. “The Artist Experience” podcast (available on iTunes and other podcast engines) shares in-depth interviews with the five featured artists. In addition to Vonyse, this inaugural group of artists includes Willie King, a 63-year-old Alabama Bluesman; The Procussions, a Denver-based Hip-Hop trio; Shurman, a Los Angeles based alt-country act who sold more than 20, 000 records from the back of their van and Yerba Buena, an afro-Cuban dance collective. “We are so excited to be part of House of Blues ‘Ones To Watch’ program, ” says Aaron Beavers of Shurman, one of the bands who will be promoted in House of Blues-branded clubs nationwide. “This is a great way to find out about new bands and to connect with those folks who are going out to enjoy live music!” Previously, the House of Blues Emerging Artist of the Month program recognized artists still in the early stages of their careers (artists like Kanye West, Linkin Park, Coldplay, Radiohead, John Mayer, Travis, Gavin DeGraw, Musiq, Hoobastank, O.A.R. and New Found Glory). They started out playing small gigs at House of Blues club venues and in many cases, graduated to achieve superstar status performing at amphitheatres and arenas. But what about the bands that haven't made it to the House yet? What about the band that's still playing in the garage? What about the bluesman that takes his music to the front porch, not the stage? In keeping with the House of Blues commitment to encourage creativity and the broadening of the music horizon for all, the “Ones To Watch” series promises grand proportion exposure for many talented artists who aspire to achieving the next level of success. Please visit www.hob.com/onestowatch/ for more information and exploration. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |